American  Steam  and  Hot-Water 
Heating  Practice. 


LIBRARY 

OF    THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 
Class 


AMERICAN 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING 


PRACTICE. 


FROM 
THE     ENGINEERING    RECORD. 

(Prior  to  1887  THE  SANITARY  ENGINEER.) 


BEING   A    SELECTED   REPRINT  OF  DESCRIPTIVE  ARTICLES, 

QUESTIONS,   AND  ANSWERS. 


WITH    FIVE  HUNDRED  AND    EIGHTY-FIVE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NEW  YORK : 

THE     ENGIXEERINQ    RECORD, 
1895. 


U 


GENERAL 

. 


Copyright,  1895, 
By  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 


PRKKACK. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  (prior  to  1887  THE  SANITARY  ENGINEER)  has  for 
sixteen  years  made  its  department  of  Steam  and  Hot-Water  Heating  and  Venti- 
lation a  prominent  feature. 

Besides  the  weekly  illustrated  descriptions  of  notable  and  interesting  current  work, 
a  great  variety  of  questions  in  this  field  have  been  answered. 

In  1888  Steam-Heating  Problems  was  published.  This  was  a  selection  of  questions, 
answers,  and  descriptions  that  had  been  published  during  the  preceding  nine  years,  and 
dealt  mainly  with  steam-heating. 

The  present  book  is  intended  to  supplement  this  former  publication,  and  includes  a 
selection  of  the  descriptions  of  hot-water,  steam-heating,  and  ventilating  installations  in  the 
different  classes  of  buildings  in  the  United  States,  prepared  by  the  staff  of  THE  ENGI- 
NEERING RECORD,  besides  a  collection  of  questions  and  answers  on  problems  arising  in 
this  department  of  building  engineering,  covering  the  period  since  1888,  in  which  the 
heating  of  dwellings  by  hot  water  has  become  popular  in  the  United  States. 

The  favor  with  which  Steam-Heating  Problems  has  been  received  encourages  the 
hope  that  American  Steam  and  Hot-Water  Practice  may  likewise  prove  useful  to  those  who 
design,  construct,  and  have  charge  of  ventilating  and  heating  apparatus. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS. 


HEATING  OF  RESIDENCES  AND  APARTMENT  HOUSES. 

Alternate  Steam  or  Hot- Water  Heating  of  a  Residence.     Three  Illustrations 8 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  a  Philadelphia  Suburban  Residence.     Five  Illustrations 27 

Hot-Water  Heating  in  a  Chicago  Residence.     Four  Illustrations. . 3 

Hot- Water  Heating  in  a  City  Residence.     Five  Illustrations 25 

Hot- Water  Heating  in  a  Country  Residence.     Three  Illustrations 31 

Hot- Water  Heating  in  a  Melrose,  Mass. ,  Residence.     Three  Ilhistrations 24 

Hot- Water  Heating  in  the  Office  and  Salesrooms  of  the  Murphy  &  GJ.'S  Varnish  Works,  Newark, 

N.  J.     Three  Illustrations 10 

Hot-Water  Heating  of  a  Store.     Two  Illustrations 9 

Hot- Water  Heating  of  a  Suburban  Residence.     Four  Illustrations 4 

Hot- Water  Heating  Plant  in  a  Brooklyn  Residence.     Six  Illustrations 12 

Hot- Water  Radiators  Below  the  Boiler  Level.     Two  Illustrations 10 

Indirect  Heating  in  a  Residence.     Five  Illustrations 32 

Indirect  Steam  or  Hot- Water  Heating  in  a  Massachusetts  Residence.     Four  Illustrations 16 

Remodeled  Heating  Plant  in  a  City  Residence.     Four  Illustrations 26 

Unusual  Piping  in  a  Hot- Water  Heating  Apparatus.     Three  Illustrations  17 

Ventilation  and  Heating  of  the  Residence  of  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt.     Six  Illustrations 20 

HEATING  OF  CHURCHES. 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  a  Baltimore  Church.     Six  Illustrations  43 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  a  Rockford  Church.     Thref.  Illustrations 45 

Heating  of  the  Temporary  Chapel,  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine.     One  Illustration 41 

Hot- Water  Heating  Apparatus  in  a  Danbury,  Conn  ,  Church.     Three  Illustrations 39 

Hot- Water  Heating  in  a  Church  and  Rectory.     Eleven  Illustrations 47 

One- Pipe  Hot- Water  Heating  of  a  Church.     Three  Illustrations 34 

Hot-Water  Heating  of  a  City  Church.     Five  Illustrations 53 

Steam  Heating  in  Trinity  Church,  New  York.     Five  Illustrations „ 49 

Steam  Heating  of  a  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  Church.     Two  Illustrations 40 

Steam  Heating  of  a  Church.     Two  Illustrations 52 

Ventilation  and  Heating  of  St.  Augustine's  Church,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.     Three  Illustrations 3? 

HEATING  OF  SCHOOLS, 

Heating  and  Ventilating  a  Milwaukee  School.     Nine  Illustrations 88 

Heating  and  Ventilating  in  the  Engineering  Building  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology. 

Four  Illustrations. 92 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  the  Jefferson  School,  Duluth,  Minn.     Seven  Illustrations 84 

Heating  and  Ventilating  of  Vanderbilt  Hail,  Yale  College.     One  Illustration 67 

Hot-Water  Heating  in  the  Convent  of  the  Visitation,  St.  Louis,  Mo.     Ten  Illustrations 55 

Hot- Water  Heating  in  the  New  Polytechnic  Institute,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.     Fifteen  Illustrations 80 

Steam-Heating  and  Ventilating  Plant  in  the  Irving  School,  West  Dubuque,  Iowa.     Three  Illustra- 
tions   79 

Steam-Heating  Plant  in  the  Hill  Seminary.     Eleven  Illustrations 68 

Ventilation  and  Heating  of  a  School  Building.      Three  Illustrations .. 72 

Ventilation  and  Warming  of  the  New  High  School,  Montclair,  N.  J.     Ten  Illustrations 75 

Warming  and  Ventilating  in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York.     Five  Illustra- 
tions    62 

HEATING  OF  THEATERS  AND  AMUSEMENT  HALLS. 

Heating  and  Ve'ntilating  the  New  York  Music  Hall.     Seventeen  Illustrations 100 

Ventilation  and  Heating  of  the  American  Theater,  New  York.     Eleven  Illustrations 97 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


HEATING  OF  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 


Heating  and  Ventilation  of  the  Suffolk  County  Court-house.     Ninety-seven  Illustrations 114 

Remodeling  the  Ventilating  Plant  in  a  New  York  Court-house.     Two  Illustrations . .  112 

HEATING  OF  HOSPITALS. 

Heating  and  Ventilating  of  a  Reception  Hospital.     Four  Illustrations 138 

Heating  and  Ventilation  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital,  Baltimore,  Md.     Fifty-one  Illustrations . . .  144 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  Mount  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  Hospital.     Six  Illustrations 172 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital  at  Montreal.     Four  Illustrations , 168 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  the  William  J.  Syms  Operating  Theater,  with  Tests  of  Efficiency  of  the 

Heating  Coils.     Eight  Illustrations 163 

Hot- Blast  Heating  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  St.  Paul,  Minn.     Eight  Illustrations 136 

Hot- Water  Heating  at  Santord  Hall.     Twelve  Illustrations 140 

Wet  Air-screen  for  Ventilating  Purposes 172 

HEATING  OF  RAILWAY  SHOPS. 

Heating  and  Ventilating  a  Roundhouse  and  Railroad  Shop.     Four  Illustrations 182 

Hot- Water  Heating  of  an  Elevated  Railroad  Station.     Six  Illustrations 183 

Steam  Heating  in  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad  Stations  at  Springfield,  Mass.     Two  Illustra- 
tions  1 80 

Steam-Heating  Plant  for  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Shops.     Thirty  Illustrations 173 

Vacuum  Circulation  Steam-Heating  System.     Three  Illustrations ,  185 

HEATING  OF  HOTELS. 

Steam  Heating  in  the  Holland  House.     Twelve  Illustrations .' 207 

Steam  Plant  in  the  New  Netherland  Hotel.     Fourteen  Illustrations ...  198 

Steam  Heating  in  the  Plaza  Hotel,  New  York.     Thirty-eight  Illustrations. 188 

Ventilation  of  the  New  Netherland  Hotel.     Six  Illustrations ...  204 

HEATING  OF  OFFICE  BUILDINGS. 

Heating  and  Ventilating  the  Walbridge  Office  Building,  Toledo,  O.     Nine  Illustrations 222 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  a  New  Haven  Office  Building.     Two  Illustrations 221 

Heating  in  the  Wainwright  Building,  St.  Louis,  Mo.     Eight  Illustrations 223 

Heating  of  the  Columbus  Building  in  Chicago.     Seven  Illustrations 218 

Power  and  Heating  Plant,  Manhattan  Life  Insurance  Building.     Eight  Illustrations  212 

Test  of  a  Steam-Heating  Flant  in  the  Carter  Building.     One  Illustration 217 

MISCELLANEOUS  HEATING  INSTALLATIONS. 

Fire  Under  a  Boiler-room  Floor.     Two  Illustrations  „ 238 

Heating  a  Florist's  Delivery  Van.     Two  Illustrations 236 

Heating  of  a  Minneapolis  Store.     Four  Illustrations     233 

Heating  of  the  Horticultural  Building,  World's  Columbian  Exposition.     Four  Illustrations 235 

Steam  Pipe  Conduit.     Six  Illustrations 237 

Utilization  of  Low-Pressure  Steam  for  Heating  and  Elevator  Service.     Four  Illustrations ,  232 


STEAM-HEATING  NOTES  AND  QUERIES. 


BOILER  PROPORTIONS. 


Figuring  the  Capacity  of  Steam- Heating  Boilers 239 

Heating  a  Swimming  Bath 242 

Heating  Boiler  Proportions 241 

Horse-power  of  Heating  Boiler _ 239 

How  to  Proportion  Radiating  Surface 242 

How  to  Find  the  Boiler  Surface  when  the  Radiating  Surface  is  Known 240 

Proportions  of  Boiler  and  Radiating  Surface 239 

Steam  Heating  of  a  Public  Building.     One  Illustration 241 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CONDENSATION  NECESSARY. 

Amount  of  Radiation  in  Indirect  Stacks  243 

Heating  Surface  Required  to  Heat  Water  in  Tank 243 

Proportioning  of  Radiation 243 

Relative  Condensation  in  Heating  Apparatus 245 

Rules  for  Estimating  Radiatiug  Surface  for  Heating  Buildings. 244 

Rules  for  Figuring  Steam-Heating  Surface 244 

Steam  Consumption  for  Heating  in  New  York  in  Different  Months 246 

Steam-Heating  Estimate  Wanted 245 

Steam-Heating  Surface  for  Drying-rooms. 246 

COST  OF  STEAM  HEATING. 

Charge  for  Heating  Surface  ...  . 248 

Estimating  Cost  of  Steam „ 246 

COAL  REQUIRED. 

Amount  of  Coal  Required  to  Heat  Water  from  40  to  200  Degrees 249 

Steam  Required  for  Heating  a  Railway  Train 248 

METHODS  OF  HEATING. 

Direct-Indirect  versus  Indirect  Heating  for  Large  Buildings 250 

Direct  or  Indirect  Radiation  for  Schoolhouses 250 

Heating  by  the  Gravity  System 249 

High  and  Low  Pressure  Heating 249 

ONE-PIPE  SYSTEMS. 

Comparative  Merits  of  the  One  and  Two- Pipe  Systems  of  Steam  Heating 253 

Defective  Circulation  in  a  One-Pipe  Heating  Job.     Two  Illustrations 252 

One-Pipe  System  and  Its  Relief  Pipes     252 

One-Pipe  System  for  Heating  Two  Rooms  by  Steam.     One  Illustration 252 

Why  do  Steam-Heating  Concerns  Condemn  the  One-Pipe  System  of  Steam  Heating? 251 

EXHAUST-STEAM  HEATING. 

Heating  by  Exhaust  Steam,  Engine  Horse-power,  Sizes  of  Flues  and  Registers 258 

Heat  of  Exhaust  Steam.     One  Illustration 254 

Method  of  Using  Exhaust  Steam  to  Warm  Buildings.     One  Illustration .  256 

Steam  Heating  at  the  Edison  Phonographic  Works,  Llewellyn,  N.  J.     Three  Illustrations „ .  255 

When  is  it  Economical  to  Use  Exhaust  Steam  for  Heating?. .  . .  \    2^5 

(  '259 

SYSTEMS  OF  PIPING. 

Butt  Joints  in  Main  Return  Pipe  Below  the  Water  Line.     One  Illustration 260 

By-pass  Around  a  Steam  Meter.     One  Illustration 262 

Connecting  Steam  and  Return  Risers.     One  Illustration 266 

Gravity  versus  Return  Trap  Systems  of  Heating  by  Steam 262 

Heating  Coils  in  a  Steam  Boiler  Firebox.     One  Illustration 264 

Overhead  Steam  Heating 260 

Pump  Governor  Heating  System.     One  Illustration 261 

Pump  Return  System  of  Steam  Heating.     One  Illustration 265 

Radiator  and  Coil  Connections  Under  the  Mills  System.     Two  Illustrations  261 

Radiator  Connections 259 

Returning  Water  of  Condensation  to  a  Boiler.     One  Illustration \    ^^ 

Steam  Returns  Near  the  Water  Level.     One  Illustration  263 

Where  to  Place  a  Reducing  Valve.    One  Illustration 263 

EXPANSION  OF  PIPING. 

Expansion  of  Steam  Pipes 267 

Pipe  Supports  and  Connections  for  a  Boiler.     One  Illustration  267 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


TROUBLE  WITH  APPARATUS. 


An  Elevated  Return  and  Water  Level.     One  Illustration , . . .  269 

Decreased  Heating  Power  of  Coils 270 

Defective  Circulation  in  a  Steam-Heating  Job.     One  Illustration 268 

Failure  in  Steam  Heating  from  Careless  Management.     One  Illustration 272 

Failure  of  Boiler  to  Heat  Water 270 

Faulty  Arrangement  of  Cylinder  Drips.     One  Illustration 270 

Improper  Arrangement  of  Drip  Pipes  in  a  Heating  and  Power  System      One  Illustration 268 

Noise  Caused  in  the  Mains  of  a  Steam-Heating  Apparatus  by  an  Improperly  Arranged  Relief  Pipe. 

Two  Illustrations 271 

Trouble  with  a  Steam-Heating  and  Power  Plant.     One  Illustration 270 

Trouble  with  a  Steam-Heating  Plant.     One  Illustration 269 


PIPE  SIZES. 


Questions  About  Steam  Heating. .. 273 

Steam-Heating  Problems.     One  Illustration 273 


AIR  VALVES 


Air  Valve  for  Steam  Coils.     One  Illustration , , 274 

Can  an  Air  Valve  on  a  Radiator  Syphon  Water  from  a  Boiler „ 274 

Circulation  in  a  Church  Steam- Heating  System.     One  Illustration 274 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


About  a  Stop  Valve  on  a  Heating  Main 277 

Circulation  in  Heating  Tanks 275 

Cold  Air  from  a  Steam-Heating  Radiator 270 

Combustible  Gas  from  a  Hot- Water  Heater , .  277 

Continuous  Use  of  Water  in  a  Steam-Heating  Boiler 276 

Heat-Conducting  Properties  of  Building  Materials 278 

Letting  Cold  Water  into  a  Heating  Boiler 280 

Measuring  Pipe  in  Forty-five  Degree  Fitting.     One  Illustration 276 

Method  of  Regulating  Draft  by  Expansion  Tank.     One  Illustration 280 

Objection  to  Three  Lugs  on  a  Boiler 276 

Radiating  Surface  and  Reduced  Steam  Pressures 278 

Responsibility  for  Freezing  of  Steam  Coils  275 

Smead  System  for  Schools 279 

Steamfitter's  Knock-Down  Bench.     One  Illustration 278 

To  Prevent  Rust  in  Heating  Boilers  During  the  Summer , 275 

Trouble  from  Priming.     Two  Illustrations 277 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  NOTES  AND  QUERIES. 


GREENHOUSES. 


Heating  a  Greenhouse.     One  Illustration 281 

Heating  Water  for  Watering  Greenhouses.      Two  Illustrations 281 

Hot- Water  Heating  of  a  Greenhouse.     One  Illustration 282 

TROUBLE  WITH  APPARATUS. 

Impaired  Circulation  of  a  Hot- Water  Heating  System.     One  Illustration 283 

Trap  in  a  Hot-Water  Heating  Return  Pipe.     One  Illustration 283 

Trouble  with  a  Hot-Water  Heating  System.     One  Illustration 284 

ONE-PIPE  HOT- WATER  JOB. 

One-Pipe  Hot- Water  Jobs ~ 285 

FUEL  CONSUMPTION. 

Excessive  Fuel  Consumption  in  a  Hot- Water  Heater 285 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS, 

HEATING  BELOW  THE  WATER  LEVEL. 

Hot- Water  Heating  at  the  Boiler  Level.     One  Illustration 286 

Hot- Water  Radiators  on  a  Level  with  Boiler 287 

Hot- Water  Heating  on  Three  Floors.     One  Illustration 286 

Piping  for  Hot-Water  Radiators  on  Boiler  Level 287 

EXPANSION  TANKS. 

Connection  to  an  Expansion  Tank.     One  Illustration 290 

Danger  from  Closed  Hot-Water  Apparatus.      Three  Illustrations 288 

Expansion  Tank  Connection.     One  Illustration 289 

Position  of  Expansion  Tank  in  Hot- Water  Heating  Apparatus.     One  Illustration 290 

METHOD  OF  PIPING. 

Hot- Water  Circulation  Question 293 

Hot  Water  from  the  Return  Pipes 295 

Hot- Water  Radiator  Connection  to  a  Steam-Heating  Boiler.      Two  Illustrations 295 

Increased  Hot- Water  Supply  Wanted 293 

Large  versus  Small  Diameters  for  Hot- Water  Heating  Pipes 294 

Pitch  of  Hot- Water  Heating  Pipes 293 

Warming  a  Ja'l  by  Hot  Water.     Five  Illustrations 292 

Warming  the  Water  Supply  by  Steam.     One  Illustration 291 

MISCELLANEOUS  QUERIES. 

Cleaning  Out  a  Hot- Water  Heater 298 

Friction  of  Elbows  in  Hot-Water  Pipe.    . 298 

Gas  in  Hot- Water  Radiators 296 

Heating  a  Carving  Tabls.     One  Illustration 298 

Heating  and  Ventilation  of  a  Church.     One  Illustration 297 

Heating  by  Steam  from  an  Electric  Light  Plant 299 

•Temperature  Observations  of  Hot- Water  Pipes 298 

To  Prevent  Hot-Water  Radiators  from  Freezing  When  Not  in  Use 299 

HEATING  SURFACE. 

Efficiency  of  Hot- Water  Radiators 300 

Pipe  Surface  for  Greenhouse  Warming '. 300 

VENTILATION  NOTES  AND  QUERIES. 

LOUVERS. 

Damper  to  Prevent  Back  Drafts.     Two  Illustrations 303 

Louver  in  Ventilator  of  Trainshed  Roof  to  Let  Out  Smoke  and  Exclude  Snow.     Seven  Illustra- 
tions  302 

SIZE  OF  FLUES. 

Exhaust  Ventilation  Unused 303 

Size  of  Chimney  Flue  for  Boiler 304 

Size  of  Ventilating  Flue 304 

SIZE  OF  REGISTERS. 

Allowance  for  Friction  in  Register  Openings.     One  Illustration 305 

Heating  and  Ventilating  a  Hospital.     One  Illustration 306 

How  Much  Cold  Air  to  Admit  and  How  to  Retain  It  When  Warmed 3o7 

Prison  Ventilation 305 

Ratio  of  Register  Area  to  Radiating  Surface 304 

Simple  Damper  Regulator.     One  Illustration 308 

Ventilating  a  Vault.     Two  Illustrations 3O6 

UNWISE  HEATING  CONTRACTS. 

Heating  Guarantee  and  Zero  Weather 309 

Heating  Guarantee  and  Zero  Weather 31  y 

Required  Heating  of  Buildings  to  "  Seventy  Degrees  in  Zero  Weather  " 310 


HEATING  OF  RESIDENCES  AND  APARTMENT  HOUSES. 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  IN  A  CHICAGO 

RESIDENCE. 

THE  new  residence  of  Mr.  J.  B.  Earl,  St.  Louis 
Avenue  and  Adams  Street,  Chicago,  111.,  has  recently 
been  equipped  with  a  hot-water  heating  apparatus 
arranged  as  shown  in  accompanying  plans.  Direct 
radiation  is  used  throughout  except  in  the  reception 
room,  hall,  and  library,  which  are  heated  by  indirect 
coils  in  the  basement.  A  hot-water  heater  ot  a  rated 
net  capacity  of  1,900  square  feet  operates  the  1,192 
feet  of  direct  and  480  feet  of  indirect  radiators,  and 
is  designed  to  maintain  a  temperature  of  85°  Fahr.  in 
the  bathroom  and  of  75°  Fahr.  everywhere  else  in  the 
house.  The  general  arrangement  of  pipes  is  of  a 
4-inch  main  riser  (A,  Figs,  i  and  2),  which  takes  the 
hot  water  from  the  heater  up  through  a  vertical 
shaft  or  closets  to  the  attic,  where,  in  the  triangular 
space  (3,  Fig.  2)  between  the  attic  ceiling  and  the 
ridge  of  the  roof  it  distributes  the  flow  through  a 
horizontal  main  B  B,  from  which  branches  C  C,  etc., 
for  the  different  radiators  are  taken  off,  and  follow- 
ing the  pitch  of  the  roof  terminate  in  vertical  drop 
risers  D  D,  etc.,  which  are  carried  through  the  par- 
titions to  the  basement.  As  they  descend  the  hot 
water  is  supplied  to  the  radiators,  and  passing 
through  them  is  received  at  a  lower  point  of  the 
same  pipe  and  taken  as  return  water  to  the  basement, 
where  the  bottoms  of  the  risers  are  connected  with 
horizontal  mains  to  the  boiler. 


Figure  i  is  a  diagram  of  the  attic  piping,  showing 
the  delivery  of  the  hot  water  through  riser  A  audits 
horizontal  distribution  through  pipes  B  B  and  C  C, 
etc.  The  expansion  tank  is  of  steel,  of  30  gallons 
capacity,  and  all  the  branches  C  C,  etc.,  have  their 
connections  made  on  the  sides  of  main  B  B.  All  pipe 
in  the  attic  is  covered  with  mineral  wool  jacketing, 
as  are  all  the  risers  in  the  outside  walls.  A  sheet- 
iron  shield  is  interposed  between  the  pipes  and  the 
lathing,  and  tees  are  left  in  the  attic  mains  to  pro- 
vide for  possible  future  connections. 

Figure  2  is  a  basement  plan  showing  in  heavy  black 
lines  the  system  of  return  mains  from  the  bottoms 
of  drop  risers  D  D,  etc.,  to  the  heater.  The  heater 
is  a  Gurney  double  crown  No.  i,  style  C,  provided 
with  an  altitude  gauge  to  show  the  height  of  water 
in  the  expansion  tank,  a  thermometer  in  contact  with 
the  circulation,  and  a  Butz  automatic  thermostatic 
regulator.  I  I  are  each  2o-section  standard  indirect 
radiators,  which  deliver  hot  air  to  the  first-floor  reg- 
isters, which  are  here  indicated  in  dotted  lines  at 
R  R  R  R.  The  small  circles  indicate  the  positions 
of  the  drop  risers  D  D,  etc.,  from  the  distributing 
mains  in  the  attic.  The  short  branches  terminating 
with  a  cross  are  connections  for  first-floor  radiators. 

Figures  3  and  4  are  plans  of  the  first  and  second 
floors,  respectively,  showing  arrangement  of  rooms, 
position  of  drop  risers  D  D,  etc.,  and  the  location 
and  connection  to  them  of  the  radiators.  There  are 

FIG.  I 

ATTIC    PLAN 


HOT-WATER   HEATING  IN   A  CHICAGO   RESIDENCE. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


in  all  22  direct  "  Perfection  "  radiators  of  the  Detroit 
pattern,  each  furnished  with  an  air  cock  and  a 
nickel-plated,  wood  wheel,  Detroit  quarter-turn  fin- 
ished valve  on  the  return  connection  which  drops 
through  the  floor  before  connecting  to  the  return 
riser.  Pis  a  t-inch  pipe  coil  in  the  butler's  pantry, 
having  10  feet  of  radiation  for  plate  warming.  The 
piping,  indirect  radiators  and  boiler  satisfactorily 
endured  a  test  of  50  pounds  cold-water  pressure 
applied  by  the  Illinois  Heating  Company,  Chicago, 
who  installed  the  apparatus. 


Radiators    shown 
thus  • 


HOT-WATER    HEATING    OF    A    SUBURBAN 

RESIDENCE. 

THE  recently  built  residence  of  W.  W.  Green, 
Esq.,  at  Englewood,  N.  }.,  is  a  bluestone  and  frame 
structure  about  36x65  feet  in  ground  size,  three 
stories  high.  It  is  built  in  accordance  with  the 
plans  of  Berg  &  Clark,  architects,  of  New  York  City. 
The  house,  which  stands  upon  high  ground,  and  is 
exposed  to  the  northwest  winds,  contains  about 
60,000  cubic  feet  to  be  heated.  The  heating  is  by  a 
hot-water  system  designed  and  installed  by  the 

CONSEVATORY  Cig  2 

FIRST  FLOOR  PLAN 

>//  /&  ~/oipe  S/jiyA 


FIG.  2 

BASEMENT  PLAN 

</&" 


HOT-WATER    HEATING   IN    A   CHICAGO    RESIDENCE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


FIG.  4 


Radi'ators 
thus- 


SECOND  FLOOR  PLAN 


HOT-WATER   HEATING  IN   A  CHICAGO   RESIDENCE. 


Boynton  Furnace  Company,  New  York,  the  plans 
being  the  work  of  their  Superintendent  and  heating 
engineer,  James  A.  Harding.  The  heater  is  an  ex- 
posed sectional  cast-iron  return  flue  No.  40  Boynton, 
set  in  the  basement,  as  shown  in  Fig.  i.  The  hall, 
reception  room,  den,  living  room,  and  dining  room 
0:1  the  first  floor,  Fig.  2,  are  heated  by  an  independ- 


ent indirect  system,  the  location  and  sizes  of  floor 
registers,  cold-air  boxes  and  the  heating  surfaces  of 
the  heating  stacks  being  given  in  their  respective 
places  on  the  plans.  This  system  is  supplied  by  a 
3-inch  main  flow,  which,  rising  gradually,  may  be 
traced  on  Fig.  i  to  the  point  designated  "syphon," 
where  it  rises  t>erpendicularly  into  the  closet  room 


HOT-WATER   HEATING  OF  AN   ENGLEWOOD,    N.  J.,    RESIDENCE. 


THE  ENGINEERING    RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


on  the  main  floor,  continuing  close  to  the  ceiling  and 
then  by  a  return  bend  passing  back  and  downward 
to  its  rising  point  in  the  basement,  and,  full  sized, 
to  the  point  from  which  the  2^-inch  branch  is  taken 
to  supply  the  stacks  heating  the  den,  dining  room 
and  living  room.  Continuing,  a  2-inch  branch  is 
taken  off  to  the  hall  stack,  the  run  terminating  with 
a  ij^-inch  flow  to  the  reception  room  stack.  All  of 
these  flow  pipes  are  on  a  gradual  incline  to  the 
heaters,  so  that  air  or  steam  accumulating  at  any 
point  in  the  system  will  travel  to  the  highest  point 
of  the  syphon  in  the  closet  on  the  main  floor  and 
thence  by  a  ^-inch  relieving  pipe  emptying  into  the 
air  space  of  the  expansion  tank  in  attic.  The  re- 
turns of  all  the  indirect  heaters  are  assembled  in  a 


Fresh  Air  Ducts 
Indirect  ffocfiafors  » 
Vertical  We?//  f/ues  » 


3-inch  pipe  which  passes  under  the  floor  to  the 
boiler.  The  den  and  dining  rooms  are  heated  from 
a  joint  stack  partitioned  proportionately  to  their 
sizes.  All  of  the  indirect  stacks  are  of  the  American 
Radiator  Company's  ' '  Perfection  "  pin  style  and  are 
hung  in  two  sections,  an  upper  and  a  lower  one, 
each  of  which  has  independent  flow  and  return 
valves,  so  that  either  or  both  of  the  sections  may  be 
used  as  the  season  or  service  may  require. 

The  size  of  the  several  rooms  is:  On  first  floor,  10 
feet  high,  hall,  15x20  feet;  reception  room,  14x14 
feet;  living  room,  15x21  feet;  dining  room,  15x18 
feet;  den,  12x12  feet;  butler's  pantry,  9x13  feet.  On 
second  floor,  9  feet  6  inches  high,  bedrooms  over 
hall,  14x14  feet;  reception  room,  15x17  feet;  living 


FIG.  I 

BASEMENT  PLAN 


SERVANTS 
DINING-  ROOM 

2~ 


uo 
SCJU. 


ALTERNATE   STEAM   OR   HOT- WATER   HEATING   OF  A  YONKERS,    N.  Y.,    RESIDENCE.     (Seepages.) 


8 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


room,  15x20  feet;  dining  room,  16x20  feet;  kitchen, 
15x16  feet;  front  bathroom,  10x12  feet;  rear  bath- 
room, 7x11  feet.  On  third  floor.  9  feet  high,  three 
servants'  bedrooms,  each  10x20  feet. 

The  direct  heating  is  in  three  sections,  the  flow 
and  return  pipes  for  which  and  their  sizes  are  shown 
on  Fig.  i.  The  location  of  the  radiators,  which  are 
of  the  American  "Perfection"  pattern,  and  their 
sizes  are  shown  on  the  plans,  Figs.  3  and  4.  The  ex- 
pansion tank  of  this  job  is  of  the  closed  pattern,  to 
be  run  open  in  mild  weather,  but  furnished  with  a 
safety  valve  to  be  set  at  10  pounds  in  severely  cold 
weather,  so  that  the  water  in  the  system  may  be 
heated  to  a  higher  temperature  than  can  be  done  by 
the  use  of  an  open  tank.  The  expansion  pipe  for 
the  tank  is  connected  to  one  of  the  return  pipes, 
close  to  the  boiler. 

Although  the  house  is  in  an  exposed  situation,  as 
has  been  stated,  the  additional  higher  temperature  of 
the  water  from  the  closed  system,  the  double-decked 
indirect  stacks,  and  the  provision  of  a  sufficiently 
large  boiler,  have  served  to  furnish  any  range  of 
heat  required  during  the  severe  winter  of  1892. 


boiler  A  is  a  i2-section  cast-iron  Gold's  pattern, 
with  close-built  brickwork,  and  having  all  necessary 
appliances  for  a  steam-heating  job.  The  heating 
mains  B,  the  sizes  and  runs  of  which  are  marked  on 
the  plan,  are  all  pitched  up  from  the  boiler,  and  cor- 
responding return  pipes  C  of  the  same  size  and  lines 
are  laid  with  a  pitch  down  to  the  boiler.  The  foot 
of  the  risers  D  D  D  D,  which  supplies  the  direct 
radiators  on  the  third  floor,  are  dripped  as  shown  in 
Fig.  2,  each  drip  having  the  plug  cock  E.  The 
safety  valve  F,  water  regulator  G,  steam  gauge  I, 
and  damper  regulator  J  have  each  a  plug  cock  K, 
located  as  shown  in  Fig.  3.  The  stand-pipe  L  of 
the  expansion  pot,  which  is  located  in  a  closet  on  the 
third  floor,  has  a  plug  cock  marked  M. 

When  required  for  hot-water  heating  the  cock  M 
on  the  stand-pipe  L,  Fig.  3,  is  opened,  tte  cock  E, 
Fig.  2,  and  all  cocks  marked  K  on  Fig.  3  are  closed. 
This  puts  all  of  the  steam  service  appliances  out  of 
service,  and  prevents  the  circulation  of  hot  water 
down  the  drip  P,  Fig.  2.  Water  is  supplied  to  the 
system,  and  a  pressure  kept  on  it  in  the  usual 
manner  by  a  float  valve  in  the  expansion  pot,  at  the 


FiQ.3 


ALTERNATE   STEAM  OR  HOT-WATER   HEATING   OP   A    VTONKERS,  N.  Y.,  RESIDENCE. 


ALTERNATE  STEAM  OR  HOT-WATER  HEAT- 
ING OF  A  RESIDENCE. 

THE  residence  of  Mr.  J.  E.  Andrews,  at  Yonkers, 
N.  Y.,  the  plans  of  which  were  made  by  R.  H.  Rob- 
ertson, architect,  New  York  City,  has  a  combination 
heatitg  system  which,  during  the  milder  weather  at 
the  beginning  of  the  heating  season,  is  used  with 
hot  water,  and  upon  the  advent  of  colder  weather  is 
changed  to  a  steam  heater,  and  changed  back  to 
hot  water  when  the  prevailing  temperature  is  moder- 
ated in  the  spring.  The  house  is  of  stone,  three 
stories  high  with  basement,  covers  a  ground  space 
of  92x84  feet,  and  has  a  large  exposed  surface  on 
account  of  the  bow,  bays,  and  recesses  which  enter 
into  its  architectural  composition. 

The  heating  was  done  by  Gillis&Geoghegan,  New 
York,  and  is  mainly  of  the  indirect  system.  The 
location  of  the  boiler,  pipe  lines,  heating  stacks,  hot- 
air  flues  and  fresh-air  ducts,  with  sizes  of  each,  is 
shown  on  the  accompanying  basement  plan.  The 


top  of  stand-pipe  L,  the  water  supply  to  which  is  con- 
trolled by  the  cock  Q  on  the  cold-water  pipe  R. 
When  required  for  steam  heating  the  cocks  M  and  Q 
are  closed  and  the  drip  cock  S  is  opened,  which 
allows  the  water  in  the  stand-pipe  L  to  waste.  The 
blow-off  cock  T  is  then  opened,  as  are  the  air  valves 
on  the  third  floor,  which  allows  the  surplus  water  to 
pass  off  through  the  waste  hose.  The  valves  K  on 
the  water  column  U  are  then  opened  and  the  water 
allowed  to  waste  until  it  has  lowered  to  the  desired 
level.  The  air  valves  on  all  the  heaters  having  been 
opened  and  the  water  relieved  from  them,  all  the 
other  cocks  marked  K,  and  the  cock  E  are  opened, 
and  the  system  has  been  transformed  to  steam 
heating. 

Fresh  air  is  introduced  to  the  several  indirect 
stacks  by  galvanized-iron  ducts  starting  from  the 
points  marked  V  on  the  plan,  and  which  are  cross- 
connected  so  that  the  supply  may  be  taken  from 
either  point  if  necessary  on  account  of  high  or  con- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


trary  winds.  With  but  few  exceptions  the  hot-air 
registers  are  set  in  the  walls,  the  connection  to  them 
being  built  in  as  the  walls  went  up.  The  use  of  this 
combined  system  during  the  past  severe  winter  has 
justified  the  judgment  of  the  designers  in  its  ease  of 
management  and  great  range  of  heating. 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  OF  A  STORE. 

IN  the  store  of  L.  H.  Biglow  &  Co. ,  in  Broad  Street, 
New  York  City,  there  has  recently  been  installed  a 
compact  hot-water  heating  plant,  designed  under 
conditions  which  make  the  job  one  of  especial 
interest.  These  conditions  were,  in  general,  such 
that  pipes  could  be  run  neither  above  nor  below  the 
store  premises  occupied  by  the  firm.  The  size  of  the 
store,  location  and  size  of  boiler,  radiator  and  pipes 
are  shown  on  the  accompanying  floor  plan,  Fig.  i. 
The  elevation  of  the  boiler,  a  No.  3  J.  L.  Mott  Iron 
Works'  "  Sunray,"  the  flow  and  return  pipes,  air 
valves,  automatic  water  regulator,  high-pressure  and: 
expansion  tank  are  shown  on  Fig.  2. 

To  secure  fireproohng,  the  boiler  A  was  raised  i 
foot  above  the  store  floor,  upon  a  brick  base,  and 
placed  about  midway  in  the  store.  The  2^-inch 
riser  B  was  connected  into  a  branch  tee  supplying 
the  two  2-inch  flow  pipes  C  C,  which  at  this  their 
highest  point  were  12  inches  below  the  ceiling.  The 
float  air  valve  D  was  placed  close  upon  top  of  the  riser 
tee  and  served  the  purpose  of  an  air  escape.  The  flow 
pipes  C  C  gradually  descended  to  the  down  pipes  E 
which  entered  the  tops  of  the  radiators,  each  having 
an  angle  valve  to  regulate  the  flow.  The  return 
pipes  F  were  of  the  same  size  as  the  flow  pipes,  and 
were  returned  to  the  boiler  between  the  floor  joists. 

Upon  the  top  of  the  expansion  pipe  G  was  placed 
the  automatic  water  regulator  H,  its  water  level  I 
being  but  3  inches  above  the  highest  point  of  C,  or 
just  enough  to  close  the  float  valve  D.  The  regula- 
tor H  is  connected  by  the  pipes  J  J  to  the  horizontal 
tank  K.  With  the  city  water  pressure  turned  on  at 
the  cock  L,  the  float  M  closing  against  the  inflow 
when  the  water  level  I  is  reached,  the  float  air  valve 
N  on  the  top  of  the  regulator  allows  the  escape  of 
air  as  the  heated  and  expanded  water  rises  in  the 
pipe  G.  When  the  water  has  raised  in  the  regulator 
and  tank  so  as  to  float  the  valve  N  to  a  seat,  the  air 
is  then  confined  and  compressed  above  the  water 
level  O  in  the  tank  making  it  a  closed  system. 

Upon  the  top  of  the  tank  K  is  set  the  safety 
valve  P  set  to  10  pounds  pressure.  When  this 
pressure  has  been  passed  the  safety  valve  opens, 
releasing  the  air  or  water  if  it  should  rise  to  that 
point,  passing  off  and  down  through  the  relief  pipe 
Q  to  a  closet  tank.  When  the  water  has  cooled 
and  contracted  sufficiently  to  allow  the  float  valve 
N  to  drop,  air  enters,  leaving  the  system  an  open 
one.  Should  water  enough  have  been  wasted  to 
drop  below  the  original  water  level  I  the  regulator 
M  performs  its  functions  and  supplies  the  defi- 
ciency. The  work  was  planned  and  installed 
by  the  Blackmore  Heating  Company,  New  York 
City. 


10 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


HOT-WATER  RADIATORS  BELOW  THE 

BOILER   LEVEL. 

FROM  sketches  made  during  a  visit  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  we  herewith  illustrate  the  arrangements 
in  adjacent  buildings  on  Eleventh  Street,  in  that 
city,  to  secure  hot-water  circulation  throughout  the 
heating  systems  when  some  of  the  radiators  were 
necessarily  below  the  level  of  the  boiler ,  or  required 
the  return  pipes  to  fall  below  that  level.  Both 
buildings  were  three  stories  high  above  the  base- 
ment. 

Figure  i  shows  the  sytems  in  Johnson  &  Morris' 
office  and  shops  on  the  basement  floor.  A  is  a  Rich- 
ardson &  Boynton  Co.  No.  2  "Perfect"  hot- water 
boiler,  and  B  and  C  ar»  i-inch  Box  coils,  and  D  is  a 
Bundy  radiator  set  on  the  same  floor.  Both  the 
return  pipes  E  and  F  are  below  the  level  of  the  bot- 
tom of  the  boiler,  pipe  F  being  on  the  floor  and  pipe 
E  under  the  floor.  G  and  H  are  radiators  on  the 
second  floor,  and  I  is  the  expansion  tank.  The  over- 
flow takes  place  through  the  horizontal  branch  J, 
which  is  connected  to  discharge  pipe  K  by  a  tee  L, 
open  at  the  top.  M  and  N  are  vent  pipes  and  O  is  a 
supply  branch  to  the  city  pressure.  P  is  the  attached 
thermometer. 

Figure  2  is  a  diagram  of  the  system  next  door  to 
that  shown  in  Fig.  i.  A  is  a  Boynton  No.  4  "  Per- 
fect "  boiler.  F  is  its  smoke  flue,  and  G  is  its  ther- 
mometer. BCD  are  radiators  in  the  basement 
stove.  E  is  a  2-foot  single  coil,  warming  a  rear 
printing  office  at  a  slightly  higher  level,  and  I  and 
J'  are  riser  lines,  each  to  a  second  and  third  floor 
radiator.  V  is  a  petcock.  L  is  the  expansion  tank, 
connected  by  pipe  M  with  the  summit  of  line  J ,  and 
overflowing  through  P.  The  latter  is  connected  to 
discharge  pipe  Q  by  a  tee  R,  whose  upper  branch 
is  open.  N  is  a  cold-water  supply. 

Radiators  B,  C  and  D  are  set  on  the  same  floor 
with  the  boiler  A,  and  their  return  pipe  H  is  below 
this  floor.  Therefore,  to  promote  the  circulation, 
a  is-foot  vertical  loop  S  K  was  put  on  their  supply 
main  T,  and  provided  at  its  summit  K  with  an  air- 
vent  pipe  O,  connected  to  the  overflow  P. 

Both  of  these  systems  have  been  in  operation  more 
than  a  year  and  are  said  to  give  good  satisfaction 
and  to  keep  ail  the  radiators  at  the  same  tempera- 
ture. 

Both  systems  were  put  up  by  Johnson  &  Morris,  of 
New  York,  and  were  described  and  exhibited  to  our 
representative  by  their  Manager,  Thomas  Eagan. 


HOT- WATER  HEATING  IN  THE  OFFICE  AND 

SALESROOMS  OF  THE  MURPHY  &  CO. 

VARNISH  WORKS,  NEWARK,  N.  J. 

THE  accompan^  ing  illustrations,  Figs,  i,  2,  and  3, 
show  the  hot-water  heating  apparatus  put  into  the 
office  and  salesrooms  of  Murphy  &  Co.,  in  Newark, 
N.  J.,  by  the  H.  B.  Smith  Company,  of  New  York, 
from  plans  by  their  engineer,  Mr.  Andrew  G.  Mer- 
cer, who  has  furnished  us  with  the  particulars  of  his 
work,  giving  the  quantities  of  surface  used,  the  size 
of  pipes,  both  flow  and  return,  the  method  of  running 


them,  the  size  of  the  boilers  used  and  their  connec- 
tions. The  illustrations  made  in  our  office  from  the 
working  drawings  furnished  the  foreman  in  charge  of 
the  work^give  all  the  data  needed.  We  refer  there- 
fore, incidentally,  to  the  general  arrangement  of  the 
apparatus  for  the  benefit  of  such  of  our  readers  as- 
are  not  accustomed  to  the  interpretation  of  plans. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


Zf 


Figure  i  shows  the  ground-floor  plan,  there  being 
no  basement  excepting  the  boiler  room,  which  is 
about  6  feet  below  the  common  floor  level.  Two 
lo-section  "  Mercer  "  boilers  are  used,  the  total  heat- 
ing surface  being  240  square  feet  and  the  grate  sur- 
face 1 2  square  feet. 

A  3 -inch  flow-pipe  leaves  the  top  manifold  of  each 
boiler  as  seen  in  plan,  Fig.  i,  and  also  in  the  sketch, 
Fig.  3.  which  latter  gives  a  general  idea  of  the 
appearance  of  the  boilers  as  set,  and  their  connec- 
tions as  they  appear  when  viewed  from  the  platform 
at  X,  Fig.  i. 

The  two  3-inch  boiler  connections  join  with  a 
5 -inch  flow  main,  which  rises  to  near  the  level  of  the 
ceiling,  so  that  when  it  passes  through  the  wall  at 
C,  it  is  close  to  the  ceiling  of  the  first  story  or  tank 
rooms,  where  the  varnish  is  stored.  At  d  it  is 
divided  into  two  3^-inch  flow  pipes,  going  right  and 
left,  so  that  at  e  f  and  g  respectively  they  again 
divide  into  smaller  branches,  the  sizes  of  which  are 
plainly  shown. 

The  pipes  ABC  and  D  are  i #-inch  wall-coils,  six 
pipes  high,  and  of  the  lengths  shown.  The  supply 


pipes  to  these  coils  drop  from  the  main  flow  pipe  (as 
shown  by  the  full  black  lines)  and  the  return  pipes 
from  said  coils  return  on  the  floor  to  the  boiler  room. 


&TORY 

HOT- WATER   HEATING  IN   MURPHY   &   CO.'s  VARNISH   WORKS,   NEWARK,  N.  J. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


as  shown  by  the  broken  lines.  The  detail  of  this  is 
seen  in  Fig.  3. 

The  radiators  on  the  second  floor  (Fig.  2)  are  sup- 
plied from  the  same  flow  main,  as  shown  by  the  full 
black  lines,  and  the  return  from  these  radiators  is 
carried  back  to  the  boiler  overhead,  as  shown  by  the 
double  line,  and  on  the  same  alignment  as  the  main 
flow  pipes. 

Usually  the  flow  and  return  pipes  of  a  hot-water 
apparatus  are  of  the  same  diameter;  here  it  will  be 
noticed,  however,  they  are  not,  for  the  reason  that 
each  floor  has  its  separate  return  pipe. 

The  points  g  and  f  on  the  main  are  the  highest, 
all  pipes  having  a  uniform  ascent  as  they  approach 
them.  From  the  top  of  each  point  an  open  vent  is 
carried  to  the  expansion  tank  on  the  second  floor. 

The  second  story,  Fig.  2,  which  is  the  office  floor, 
is  warmed  by  "Union"  radiators,  the  surface  of 


each  of  which  is  shown  in  square  feet  on  the  plan. 
The  cubic  contents  of  the  rooms  is  also  shown,  and 
an  approximation  can  be  made  of  the  wall  and  win- 
dow surface  by  those  who  desire  to  formulate  data 
from  these  plans. 


HOT-WATER  HEATING   PLANT  IN  A 
BROOKLYN  RESIDENCE. 

THE  residence  of  Mr.  I.  S.  Coffin,  Remsen  Street, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  has  been  recently  remodeled  under 
the  plans  and  supervision  of  Mr.  William  B.  Tubby, 
architect,  New  York  Citv,  and  the  new  heating  plant 
was  designed  by  Mr.  L.  R.  Blackmore,  of  the  Black- 
more  Heating  Company,  New  York,  who  installed 
the  work.  In  the  cellar  is  placed  a  No.  7  Sunray 
water  heater,  with  a  rated  capacity  of  2,000  square 
feet,  and  supplying  1,000  square  feet  of  indirect 
radiation  in  six  stacks,  and  350  square  feet  of  direct 
radiation  in  seven  Ornate  radiators,  placed  to  heat 
the  various  rooms  as  shown  by  the  plans  and  the 
accompanying  schedule. 

The  dimensions  of  the  building  and  heating  plant 
are  in  accordance  with  the  accompanying  illustra- 
tions (page  16),  which  are  prepared  from  data  secured 
from  the  working  drawings.  The  house  is  a  typical 
city  residence  facing  north,  about  25  feet  front,  46 
feet  deep,  and  four  stories  high  above  the  basement 
and  cellar,  and  having  a  two-story  extension.  Only 
two  main  lines  of  flow  pipes  are  taken  off  from  the 
heater.  One  goes  immediately  into  a  syphon  10  feet 
high,  and  returning  to  the  cellar  is  divided  into  two 
branches  that  respectively  supply  the  indirect  stacks, 
which  are  arranged  in  two  remote  groups,  one  at  the 
front  and  one  in  the  rear  end  of  the  house.  Each 
line  is  commanded  by  a  valve  that  enables  it  to  be 
cut  out  of  circulation  while  the  other  is  being 
operated  alone,  or  any  of  its  individual  stacks  may 
be  separately  turned  on  or  off  by  their  supply 
valves.  All  the  supply  pipes  are  hung  from  the 
cellar  ceiling  and  are  graded  toward  the  stacks. 
The  returns  are  run  along  the  cellar  wall  near  the 
floor  and  are  graded  toward  the  heater.  As  each. 


HOT-WATER   HEATING   IN   MURPHY   &   CO.'s  VARNISH   WORKS,    NEWARK,  N.  J. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


Warm  SlirFlue  8"* I 
Coal  Cellar 

FIG. 

THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 


branch  is  taken  off  for  the  various  risers,  main  and 
drip  valves  are  provided  so  that  any  riser  may  be  cut 
off  and  drained  out  independently. 

The  cold  fresh  air  for  the  indirect  stacks  enters 
through  two  inlets  at  opposite  ends  of  the  house  and 
is  conducted  to  the  various  stacks  by  galvanized- iron 
ducts,  No.  24  gauge,  hung  from  the  cellar  ceiling. 
The  entrances  are  provided  with  galvanized-iron 
wire  screens  of  ^-inch  mesh  and  dampers  of  the 
full  area  of  the  ducts.  Each  stack  is  cased  inde- 
pendently with  galvanized  iron,  No.  24  gauge,  with 


CELLAR 


* 

Fresh  Air 

Supply 


DETAILS,   HEATING  IN  A  RESIDENCE. 

a  io-inch  space  under  the  stack  for  cold  air  and  a  10- 
inch  corresponding  space  for  warm  air  over  the 
stack.  A  mixing  damper  is  provided  at  the  end  of 
each  stack  as  shown  in  Fig.  6.  All  the  hot-air  flues 
are  made  of  IX  tin  and  are  built  into  the  walls, 
except  flues  for  the  hall  and  dining-room,  which  are 
carried  outside  the  wall  in  basement.  The  size  and 
dimensions  of  flues  are  shown  on  the  plans. 

The  heater  is  furnished  with  a  thermometer  and 
altitude  gauge.  The  plant  is  supplied  with  water  by 
a  2^-inch  lever  handle  stop-cock  at  the  side  of  the 
boiler.  The  altitude  gauge  registers  the  exact 
height  of  water  in  the  expansion  tank,  so  that  the 
engineer  will  not  have  to  go  to  the  expansion  tank 
on  the  top  floor  in  order  to  keep  his  plant  filled  with 
water.  The  altitude  gauge  has  a  fixed  red  index 
set  to  show  the  standard  height  required  for  the 
water  (i.  e.,  the  tank  about  half- full)  and  a  movable 
white  index  that  indicates  on  the  same  dial  the 
fluctuating  height  of  water  in  the  system. 

Figure  4  shows  the  connections  of  the  syphon 
(Fig.  i)  to  the  expansion  tank  in  the  fourth  story, 
which  has  an  inverted  overflow  opening  freely  to  the 
roof. 

Figure  5  shows  the  special  arrangement  of  a  flue 
radiator  under  the  divan  seat  in  the  bay  window  of 
the  second-story  boudoir,  Fig.  2.  Particular  care 
was  taken  to  leave  a  narrow  opening  between  the 
seat  and  the  wall,  below  the  window-sill,  for  an  up- 
ward current  of  hot  air  to  pass  through  and  warm 


14 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


the  cold  air  that  would  otherwise  descend  from  the 
window  surface  and  fall  upon  the  seat. 

Figure  6  shows  the  arrangement  of  indirect  stacks 
S  S,  etc.,  Fig.  i,  in  the  cellar,  and  the  control  from 
the  room  heated  of  the  mixing  valves.  The  stacks 
are  made  with  locked  and  bolted  joints  and  their 
interiors  are  accessible  by  two  slide  doors  in  each, 
one  to  the  hot-air  and  one  to  the  cold-air  chamber. 
Fresh  cold  air  is  always  freely  admitted  when  the 
main  damper  in  the  supply  duct  (Fig.  i)  is  open,  and 


may  pass  through  the  wall  duct  A  and  be  delivered 
from  the  register  at  any  desired  temperature  up  to 
the  maximum  power  of  the  radiator  by  operating 
the  mixing  valve  V,  which  can  be  set  so  as  to  close 
port  B  and  open  port  F  so  as  to  have  all  the  fresh 
air  fully  heated  or  so  as  to  close  F  and  open  B  so  a& 
to  have  none  of  the  fresh  air  heated.  Or  it  can  be 
set  at  any  intermediate  position,  as  shown,  so  as  to 
mix  any  required  proportions  of  hot  and  cold  air,  the 
actual  delivery  of  cold  air  in  the  room  being  of 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECOUP 
IS' 


HOT- WATER   HEATING  PLANT  IN   A  BROOKLYN,    N.  Y.,  RESIDENCE 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 
Schedule. 


13 


Rooms. 

Width. 

,c° 
tl 

• 

H! 

Height. 

Cubic  Feet. 

.2 
"3 
i 

Square  Feet. 
Direct. 

Square  Feet. 
Indirect. 

Number  of 
Settings. 

State  of  Radiation. 

Temperature. 

BASEMENT. 

Billiard-room         .      .... 

16' 

67    ; 

Laundry     ...  ...... 

8' 

i*' 

FIRST  FLOOR. 

Parlor        ..   .        ...... 

1  6' 

38'6* 

8  62  1 

Dining-room  .  ...... 

i4'6' 

2-»'6* 

Butler's  pantry  

8' 

j' 

1,568 

Hall    first      

6'6" 

-r' 

Hall,  second      .....  ... 

7' 

i  go 

Hall,  third  

',' 

%> 

o' 

SECOND   FLOOR. 

Parlor  chamber  

i5'6' 

i7' 

l' 

2,530 

1  1  sections,  Perfection  Pin. 

Dining-room  chamber  
Hall  chamber  

'£'• 

»' 

14' 

l' 

l' 

2,O46 
1,078 

0.034 
0.04^ 

47 

70 

i 
t 

16  sections,  Perfection  Pin. 
13  sections,  13  inches  high,  Detroit  flue. 

70 

Bathroom   

/ 

«' 

l' 

0.035 

33 

i 

8  sections,  Detroit  corner  radiator. 

THIRD  FLOOR. 

Parlor  chamber 

is'6P 

i6'6' 

o' 

9  sections,  Perfection  Pin. 

Dining-room  chamber  
Bathroom  ..  ....... 

IS'6' 

•)' 

'^ 

12 

o' 
o' 

2,640 

840 

0.0345 

o  037 

31 

90 

i 

Included  in  second-floor  stack. 
7  sections,  38  inches  high,  Ornats. 

70 

FOURTH   KLOOR. 
Hall  

16' 

22' 

9' 

3,l68 

0.03 

•99 

i 

22  sections,  38  inches  high,  Ornate. 

/O 

Total  number  of  settings,  13. 
Total  number  of  square  feet  direct  radiation... 
Total  number  of  square  feet  indirect  radiation. 
Fifty  per  cent,  added  for  boiler  power 

Total 

Boiler  power  of  No.  7  Sunray,  2,000  feet. 


- —     35° 

1,000 

....     500 


1,850 


FOURTH  FLOOR 

HOT- WATER   HEATING   PLANT  IN  A  BROOKLYN,   N.  Y.,  RESIDENCE. 


16 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


course  dependent  on  the  available  circulation  created 
by  the  fireplace  system  of  ventilation.  The  combined 
openings  in  ports  B  and  F  are  always  constant,  it 
being  impossible  to  close  both  at  once.  The  valve 
V  is  cpnveniently  operated  by  a  bent  arm,  which  is 
worked  by  a  chain  C,  led  over  suitable  sheaves  and 
through  the  duct,  up  to  a  drum  of  small  diameter, 
which  is  commanded  by  a  crank  at  the  register  face. 
The  damper  closes  port  F  by  falling  by  gravity,  but 
the  diameter  of  the  spool  on  which  its  chain  is 
wound  is  so  small  that  it  cannot  overhaul  accident- 
ally, but  stays  as  left,  and  must  be  turned  by  hand 


to  operate  in  either  direction.  The  spool  or  drum 
was  made  of  an  ordinary  piece  of  round  iron,  with  a 
couple  of  washers  slipped  on  for  heads,  and  its  small 
diameter  enables  its  operation  to  easily  and  accu- 
rately control  the  mixing  valve,  since  it  takes  sev- 
eral revolutions  of  the  knob  to  completely  reverse 
the  damper. 

INDIRECT  STEAM   OR    HOT-WATER  HEAT- 
ING IN  A  MASSACHUSETTS  RESIDENCE. 
THE  new  residence  of  ex-Gov.  Oliver  Ames,  2d,  at 
North  Easton,  Mass.,  is  built  in  an  exposed  situation 
on  high  ground,  and  the  severe  requirements  for 
heating  it  in  the  cold  and  windy  climate  of  the  local- 
ity required  consideration,  as  did  also  the  special 
architectural  features  of  the  house.     The  building  is 
long  and  has  a  comparatively  narrow  area.     The 


I 

—  CTj 

Chamber 

Chamber 

T                 2T30-C.F. 

2520-C.F. 

\  Chamber  [f     If 

HaJJ 

1840-C.F. 

f 

U30-f.F. 

^s.    r  U- 

Sown"  

[ 

1  X^  —  —  — 

FIG.4 


Sitting    Upon? 

3592-d.F. 


Dipipg  I^oon; 

3600  (?.F 


Hall 

4716 -d.F. 


50' 


"ST"    THIRD  FLOOfl 

FIG.2 
FIRST  FLOOR 

Scale  of  Feet. 


Kitchen 


Rear  Hall 


60 •"• 


W.C. 

2i6  tr 


1 


Chan\b0r 

3654-d.F. 

1 

1     «•• 

Chamber 

,.     _                            r 

[ 

1-lti.D 

.       1            or/^/iA/n    £•/  /I/ID 

D» 
^5J' 
660r- 

3ath 
]\oom 

1=>     <==• 
I    470  Iff 

UraL 

<JLUUI\IU   ruuun 

THE  EnCINIIimc  RECORD 

'««^ 

4 

C 

< 

^> 
^ 

y 

hamber 

?iroC.F 

r 

Trunk  I\oom          /asorj? 

i?3^-^r    jff 
fl\\                //       .                        Ib 

I                   ~tf           Hall 

U        j7        '                i? 

/2<5tf  C.F      jjp     [ 

x.  '      ~         r> 
fff^j                                              lOBO-dF             \ 

fa. 

r?^'  II 

i   •—  ' 

LfiJ 

i    IIIII'-'I'-M«I1               1 

HOT-WATER  HEATING  IN  A  CITY  RESIDENCE.    (For  text  see  page  25.) 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


17 


house  contains  nearly  40  rooms  beside  the  halls  and 
has  a  very  large  volume  of  air  to  be  warmed  and 
renewed.  Provision  had  also  to  be  made  for  widely 
differing  conditions  to  be  met  with  in  the  family, 
private,  guests'  and  servants'  rooms  in  so  large  a 
•  household.  A  careful  study  of  the  conditions  and 
requirements  resulted  in  the  adoption  throughout  of 
a  system  of  indirect  radiators,  fireplaces  and  wall 
flues  for  ventilation.  The  radiators  are  all  incased 
in  galvanized-iron  stacks,  of  which  there  are  seven 
separate  ones  suspended  from  the  basement  ceiling 
and  containing  a  total  (rated)  surface  of  2,600  square 
feet  of  the  Gold's  pin  type  in  i6-foot  sections,  and 
all  of  them  connected  up  so  that,  in  the  fall,  before 
the  maximum  efficiency  of  the  apparatus  is  required, 
they  can  be  operated  by  hot  water,  which  can  be 
drained  off  and  the  whole  system  put  under  steam 
pressure  when  colder  weather  demands  a  higher  ser- 
vice. It  can  again  be  converted  into  a  hot-water 
plant  in  the  mild  spring  days  when  only  a  little  heat 
is  needed.  All  these  operations  are  conveniently 
effected  by  two  valves,  and  it  is  claimed  that  a  con- 
siderable economy  is  attained  by  omitting  steam  for 
low  duty. 

Figure  i  is  a  basement  plan  showing  the  arrange- 
ment of  stacks  and  flues  to  serve  a  floor  area  about 
140  feet  long  by  46  feet  in  extreme  width,  and  show- 
ing the  size  and  location  of  the  steam  main,  which  is 
'hung  from  the  ceiling  and  connected  with  a  parallel 
retuinpipe  (not  here  shown)  of  corresponding  size 
throughout.  Fresh  external  air  is  received  through 
three  screened  inlets  III  and  drawn,  as  indicated 
by  the  full  arrows,  to  the  radiator  stacks  S  S,  which 
warm  it  and  deliver  it  to  the  first,  second,  and  third 
stories  through  cylindrical  or  rectangular  galvanized 
iron  ducts,  as  indicated  by  the  dotted  arrows.  There 
is  no  direct  radiation  except  that  of  the  coil  C  in  the 
laundry  clothes-drying  room.  The  boiler  is  of  the 
tubular  pattern  ot  34  horse-power,  with  12  square 
feet  of  grate  area,  and  is  set  in  brick  walls  and  fitted 
with  a  Locke  safety  valve  and  an  automatic  damper 
regulator. 

Figures  2,3,  and  4  respectively,  are  plans  of  the 
first,  second,  and  third  floors,  showing  the  location 
and  size  of  registers.  This  heating  and  ventilating 
system  was  installed  by  A.  A.  Sanborn,  of  Boston, 
in  accordance  with  the  plans  and  specifications  of 
Messrs.  Rotch  &  Tilden,  architects,  also  of  Boston. 
The  entire  cost  of  the  system  was  about  $3 ,000.  Pro- 
vision has  been  made  for  the  future  control  of  the 
hot-air  supply  by  electric  thermostats. 


UNUSUAL    PIPING    IN    A    HOT-WATER 
HEATING  APPARATUS. 

THE  plans  accompanying  this  description  (page  19) 
show  the  hot-water  heating  apparatus  in  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  S.  F.  Requa,  at  South  Evanston,  111., 
as  it  was  installed  by  the  Illinois  Heating  Company, 
of  Chicago,  111. 

The  building  covers  a  rectangle  75x35  feet,  and 
contains,  beside  the  basement,  a  first  and  second 
story.  The  cubical  contents  of  the  building  are 
about  30,000  cubic  feet,  and  this  is  warmed  by  1,153 


18 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


square  feet  of  hot- water  radiating  surface.  With 
the  exception  of  one  indirect  radiator  of  180  square 
feet  of  surface  warming  the  front  ball,  the  building 
is  warmed  by  direct  radiation,  there  being  22  direct 
radiators  located  as  shown  on  the  plan. 

The  designer  of  this  plant  has  departed  from  the 
usual  method  of  running  the  flow  and  return  pipe  of 
a  hot-water  apparatus.  The  more  common  practice 
would  locate  the  boiler  in  the  central  part  of  the  base- 
ment and  run  lines  of  pipe  in  different  directions  and 
branches  from  these  to  the  base  of  the  risers  supplying 
the  radiators.  The  returns  often  parallel  the  flow 
pipes,  so  that  the  water  for  the  radiators  near  the 
boiler  would  have  to  travel  in  such  a  system  through 
a  much  shorter  length  of  pipe  than  the  water  for 
radiators  at  a  more  distant  point  in  the  basement. 
Occasionally  plants  piped  upon  this  system  have  given 
trouble,  more  generally,  we  believe,  because  of  too 
small  pipe  sizes  causing  sufficient  friction  to  prevent 
a  proper  circulation  in  the  more  distant  radiators, 
rather  than  any  inherent  defect  in  the  system. 

Another  point  of  ad  vantage  claimed  for  this  system 
over  the  one  more  commonly  used  is  that  in  the 
latter  the  water,  when  the  apparatus  is  started,  will 
pass  through  the  nearest  radiator  and  then  return 
directly  to  the  boiler  through  the  vertical  return  pipe 


FIG.  2 


at  the  boiler  at  nearly  the  same  temperature  at  which 
it  leaves  the  boiler,  and  as  a  consequence  reduces 
the  weight  of  water  in  the  return  pipe  and  thus 
diminishes  the  motive  power  of  the  entire  apparatus. 
In  the  system  installed  in  Mr.  Requa's  residence  the 
first  radiator  on  the  flow  pipe,  the  designer  claims, 
is  the  last  to  have  its  return  water  enter  the  boiler, 
thus  keeping  the  vertical  return  pipe  cool  until  the 
last  radiator  on  the  line  is  full. 

In  the  plant  under  description  the  designer  has 
sought  to  overcome  any  chance  of  failure  in  the  more 
distant  radiators  by  making  the  sum  of  the  lengths 
of  the  flow  and  return  pipes  to  and  from  a  radiator  a 
constant  quantity  and  proportioning  the  diameters  of 
the  pipe  to  the  quantity  of  water  that  is  to  pass 
through  them.  This  is  done  in  the  following  manner: 
A  No.  i  Humbert  heater  is  used.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  the  flow  pipe  from  this,  marked  A,  is  carried 
entirely  around  one  end  of  the  basement,  dropping 
as  it  leaves  the  boilers  until  it  enters  the  boiler  at 
the  rear  and  the  bottom.  From  the  first  radiator 
B  on  this  main  a  return  pipe  runs  into  a  return  main 
C,  beginning  at  that  point.  This  runs  parallel  to 
the  supply  main,  and  is  also  carried  around  the 
basement,  receiving  the  returns  from  various  radi- 
ators and  returning  the  water  to  the  boiler. 


FIG.  4 
THIRD  STORY 


INDIRECT  STEAM  OR  HOT-WATER  HEATING  IN  A  MASSACHUSETTS  RESIDENCE. 


-SECOND FLOOR  PLAN-  T"  ««"•«—« 

UNUSUAL   PIPING   IN   A   HOT-WATER    HEATING   APPARATUS. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


In  the  case  of  the  first  radiator  the  water  flows  to 
the  radiator  and  then  passes  entirely  around  the 
basement  to  the  boiler.  The  same  course  is  taken 
with  the  second  radiator,  etc.,  so  that  the  water  for 
each  has  to  travel  the  same  distance  in  making  the 
circuit.  The  return  main  increases  in  size  as  the  flow 
decreases.  The  other  end  of  the  building  is  supplied 
by  a  similar  system. 


VENTILATION  AND  HEATING  OF  THE  RESI. 
DENCE  OF  MR.  CORNELIUS  VANDERBILT. 
PROMINENT  even  among  the  palatial  private  resi- 
dences in  New  York  City,  the  recently  enlarged  and 


remodeled  residence  of  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt 
attracts  much  attention  by  its  beautiful  and  impos- 
ing exterior.  It  is  situated  in  Fifth  Avenue  occupy- 
ing the  block  between  Fifty-seventh  and  Fifty- 
eighth  Streets.  In  its  engineering  service,  provid- 
ing for  water  supply,  drainage,  ventilation,  heating, 
and  lighting,  the  residence  is  notably  complete.  The 
water  supply  has  been  described  and  illustrated  at 
length  in  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  of  January  12, 
19,  and  26, 1895,  and  the  extensive  and  elaborate  sys- 
tem of  ventilation  of  the  large  ball-room,  salon, 
banquet  hall  and  living  rooms  is  worthy  the  atten- 
tion of  all  who  have  made  a  study  of  the  ventilation 
and  heating  of  large  buildings.  The  architect  of  the 


KEY 

A  Top  Register 
B  Bottom  Register 


—First  Floor  Plan— 

VENTILATION    AND    HEATING   OF   THE    RESIDENCE    OF    MR.    CORNELIUS    VANDERBILT. 

[Figures  marked  "cub.  ft."  in  the  middle  of  each  room  indicate  the  cubic  feet  of  air  supplied  per  hour.] 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


21 


KEY 

iyjiv,>;';^'yM»'»W',,'U'.Ti    OvCtS  mjrtrfff  tfluS.  if>($C4te  t/Wt  thf 

[,_','±J-'....i.. -.'..; ;.-.„]  duel  teda  lo  was  exhausted  by  fans 

jiofifl(e/w.  r 


Boiler  Room 


TIM  E.c,.tt.,.c  RECOUP 


VENTILATION   AND   HEATING!  OF  THE  RESIDENCE   OF   MR.    CORNELIUS  VANDERBILT. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


building  was  Mr.  George  B.  Post,  of  New  York  City, 
while  Mr.  Alfred  R.  Wolff,  consulting  engineer,  was 
the  designer  of  the  heating  and  ventilating  system. 
To  these  gentlemen  we  are  indebted  for  facilities 
given  us  in  the  preparation  of  this  article.  In  this 
part  it  will  be  endeavored  to  give  as  far  as  possible 
the  details  of  the  heating  system,  and  in  a  subse- 
quent issue  the  method  of  calculating  the  amount  of 
heating  surface,  size  of  ducts,  etc.,  to  give  the  re- 
quired amount  of  air  will  be  shown,  this  data  having 
been  placed  at  our  disposal  by  Mr.  Wolff. 

The  building  occupies  the  whole  Fifth  Avenue 
front  of  the  block,  and  extends  down  the  side  streets 
for  a  distance  of  150  feet,  thus  making  the  lot  upon 
which  it  stands  125x150  feet  in  size.  The  residence 
consists  of  a  cellar,  basement,  ground,  first,  second, 
third,  and  fourth  floors.  The  cellar  contains  the 
boilers,  heating  coils,  ducts,  etc.,  of  the  heating  sys- 
tem, the  electric  switchboard,  and  the  filters,  tanks, 
etc.,  for  the  water  supply  of  the  buildings.  On  the 
basement  floor  will  be  found  the  kitchen,  laundry, 
storerooms,  and  servants'  quarters.  The  residence 
has  two  entrances  to  the  ground  floor,  the  one  on 
Fifty-seventh  Street  that  is  more  usually  used,  and 
one  on  the  Fifty-eighth  Street  side  facing  the  en- 
trance to  the  Central  Park.  The  latter  is  used  only 
upon  state  occasions,  and  leads  from  a  carriage 
porch  into  a  hall  situated  on  the  basement  floor.  On 
either  side  of  this  hall  are  located  the  dressing-rooms 
for  the  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  from  it  a  broad 
stairway  leads  to  the  reception  hall  on  the  first  floor, 
large  sliding  doors  lead  from  this  to  the  salon  and  to 
the  ball-room.  The  ball-room  is  65  feet  long  and  50 
feet  wide,  and  connected  with  it  are  the  dining  and 
smoking  room,  as  will  be  seen  from  Fig.  2,  the  first- 
floor  plan.  The  dining-room  contains  the  valuable 
collection  of  paintings  owned  by  Mr.  Vanderbilt. 

On  entering  the  Fifty-seventh  Street  entrance  one 
finds  the  hall,  enriched  with  elaborate  carvings  in 
Caen  stone,  from  which  doorways  lead  to  the 
library,  breakfast-room,  parlor,  etc.,  which  are  more 
generally  used.  The  plan  of  the  second  floor  shows, 
beside  the  arrangement  of  the  bed  chambers, 
boudoirs,  etc.,  the  location  of  the  ventilating  ducts 
that  extend  around  the  space  above  the  hanging 
ceilings  of  the  salon,  ball-room,  and  smoking-room. 

The  building  is  warmed  entirely  by  hot  water  and 
is  ventilated  partly  by  what  is  known  as  the  indirect 
system,  and  in  some  cases  the  currents  of  air  are 
stimulated  by  exhaust  fans,  but  in  no  case  is  the 
air  forced  into  any  part  of  the  building  under  press- 
ure. Ninety-seven  indirect  stacks,  of  a  total  heat- 
ing surface  of  19,565  square  feet,  serve  to  warm  the 
building.  To  supply  the  hot  water  three  horizontal 
return-tubular  boilers  are  provided,  each  containing 
1,244  square  feet  of  heating  surface.  Each  boiler  is 
54  inches  in  diameter  by  16  feet  in  length  and  con- 
tains 90  3-inch  tubes  16  feet  long.  The  boilers  are 
located  under  the  sidewalk  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  building,  as  it  was  inconvenient  to  put  them  in  a 
central  position  in  the  cellar.  As  it  was  thought  that 
there  might  be  trouble  in  obtaining  a  proper  circu- 
lation in  the  more  distant  stacks,  the  piping  is  run 


in  a  different  manner  from  the  ordinary  practice.  A 
large  1 2-inch  main  is  carried  overhead  to  a  large 
distributing  tank  3  feet  in  diameter  and  8  feet  long. 
This  is  suspended  from  the  ceiling  at  a  point  near 
the  center  of  the  cellar  and  from  it  14  heating  mains 
radiate  to  the  different  parts  of  the  basement  to 
supply  the  indirect  stacks. 

The  pipes  are  so  pitched  as  they  leave  this  tank  as 
to  cause  any  air  that  might  find  its  way  into  the 
system  to  flow  towards  the  stacks,  and  then  leave 
the  system  through  an  air  valve.  The  return  pipes 
from  each  stack  are  carried  as  far  as  possible  in  con- 
duits under  the  cellar  floor,  these  being  covered  with 
iron  plates.  The  return  lines  lead  back  to  what 
might  be  called  a  collecting  or  receiving  tank  sim- 
ilar in  size  and  placed  under  the  distributing  tank. 
The  receiving  tank  is  under  the  cellar  floor,  and  a 
12-inch  return  main  leads  from  this  to  the  boilers. 
Another  advantage  of  this  system  is  that  each  sec- 
tion of  the  heating  system,  as  for  instance  the  coils 
for  the  ball-room,  those  for  the  dining-room,  smok- 
ing-room, etc.,  is  supplied  by  one  supply  and  return 
main  independent  of  the  others,  and  controlled  by 
valves  close  to  the  distributing  and  collecting  tank, 
so  that  each  system  can  be  controlled  from  a  central 
point. 

Turning  now  to  the  ventilation  of  the  building  it 
will  be  noticed  from  Fig.  i  that  the  ducts  for  sup- 
plying fresh  air  to  the  indirect  stacks  are  divided 
into  four  general  classes  by  a  difference  in  the 
shading.  The  four  classes  are  as  follows:  First, 
ducts  supplying  air  to  rooms  which  are  exhausted  by 
fans  not  in  the  cellar;  second,  ducts  leading  to 
rooms  not  exhausted  by  any  fans;  third,  ducts  ex- 
hausting air  from  rooms  by  means  of  fans  located  in 
the  cellar;  fourth,  ducts  supplying  air  to  rooms 
exhausted  by  the  last-named  fans.  Probably  the 
most  important,  and  certainly  the  most  interesting, 
is  the  part  of  the  plant  that  ventilates  the  ball-room, 
salon,  and  those  parts  of  the  building  that  are  used 
on  state  occasions.  The  ducts  for  this  system  come 
under  the  first  head,  and  they  can  readily  be  found 
on  Fig.  i  by  means  of  the  key  in  the  corner.  The 
cubic  contents  of  the  ball-room  is  about  103,700 
cubic  feet,  and  it  was  supposed  that  it  would  at 
times  contain  400  persons,  and  hence  provision  was 
made  for  supplying  14,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per 
minute,  or  35  cubic  feet  per  capita.  The  cold  air  for 
the  ball-room  enters  the  building  on  the  north  side 
through  a  duct,  which  for  convenience  of  reference 
we  have  marked  A.  Branches  from  A  convey  the 
air  to  the  nine  indirect  stacks,  each  of  which  con- 
tains 182  square  feet  of  heating  surface.  An  8x24- 
inch  duct  leads  from  each  to  a  nx3o-inch  register 
discharging  air  into  the  ball-room.  The  registers, 
are  located  at  a  point  about  n  feet  above  the  floor. 

On  the  Fifth  Avenue  side  of  the  building  there 
will  be  found  a  duct  marked  C,  shaded  in  a  similar 
manner  to  A.  This  supplies  four  indirect  stacks  of 
169  square  feet  of  surface  each,  that  warm  the  air 
for  the  salon.  Two  of  the  registers  for  the  salon  are 
slightly  different  from  those  in  the  ball-room,  as 
they  are  placed  behind  divans  within  6  inches  of  the 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


floor.  Each  of  the  registers  so  placed  is  9  feet  wide 
and  6  inches  in  height,  distributing  the  air  at  a  low 
velocity  and  over  a  large  area.  An  i8x48-inch  duct 
B,  starting  close  to  C,  supplies  three  stacks  of  416 
square  feet  of  surface  each  for  the  main  hall.  Again, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  house  will  be  noticed  a 


duct  D,  supplying  three  stacks,  each  also  of  416 
square  feet  of  surface,  and  which  furnishes  air  for 
three  registers  in  the  dining-room.  The  registers 
contain  400  square  inches  each.  Four  stacks  of  260 
square  feet  warm  the  air  for  the  smoking-room,  this 
being  also  supplied  with  air  from  the  duct  D. 


Second  Floor  Plan 

ttnlrroaiSaien 
Veri  from  BUlSOom  c fling  ^\ 


Ball      Room 

FiG.4 

i  VerticalSectionMiLmeMNFig.3 


RECORD 


VENTILATION  AND   HEATING  OF  THE  RESIDENCE  OF  MR.    CORNELIUS  VANDERBILT. 


24 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


From  what  has  been  stated  it  is  evident  that  each 
of  the  rooms  mentioned  is  supplied  by  an  entirely 
separate  system.  One  5-foot  fan,  however,  located 
in  a  specially  constructed  fan  chamber  on  the  roof 
over  the  dining-room,  serves  to  ventilate  all  of  these 
rooms.  If  any  single  one  of  these  larger  rooms  be 
not  in  use,  the  main  vent  duct  leading  from  it  to  the 
the  fan  may  be  closed  by  a  damper  controlled  from 
the  basement  and  the  speed  of  the  fan  reduced,  as  it 
is  driven  by  an  electric  motor. 

Beginning  now  with  the  salon  on  Fig.  2,  the  plan,  it 
will  be  noticed  that  the  room  in  question  contains 
two  vent  registers,  each  9  feet  long  by  6  inches  in 
height.  On  Fig.  3  will  be  noticed  a  dotted  duct 
which  is  carried  around  over  the  salon  between  the 
arched  cornice  and  the  floor  above,  as  will  perhaps 
be  more  clearly  seen  by  Fig.  4,  which  is  a  vertical 
section  through  the  building.  The  latter  drawing 
shows  the  manner  in  which  the  two  bottom  vent 
registers  are  connected  to  the  duct,  as  well  as  the 
manner  in  which  the  vitiated  air  leaves  the  salon 
through  the  opening  between  the  cornice  and  the 
hanging  ceiling  and  into  the  duct  through  openings 
provided  for  the  purpose.  The  ball-room  is  venti- 
lated by  a  similar  duct  passing  around  over  the  ceil- 
ing of  the  ball-room,  but  in  this  instance  the  air 
enters  the  duct  through  a  slot  in  the  bottom  of  the 
duct.  At  a  point  farthest  from  the  fan  this  slot  is 
3^£  inches  broad,  and  it  decreases  to  i  inch  in  size 
at  a  point  where  the  duct  leads  to  the  fan.  Still 
another  duct,  which  is  carried  around  in  the  space 
over  the  hanging  ceiling,  is  provided  to  draw  the  air 
from  the  four  bottom  vent  registers,  each  of  these 
being  6'xo"  and  located  close  to  the  floor.  The 
smoking-room  is  vented  by  a  similar  system.  The 
dining-room  is  vented  by  means  of  the  glass  diffuser 
under  the  skylight,  which  is  raised  several  inches. 
The  space  between  the  diffuser  and  the  skylight  is 
connected  to  and  exhausted  by  the  exhaust  fan. 

Turning  again  to  the  basement,  the  ducts  which 
supply  air  to  the  flues  leading  to  the  bedrooms, 
boudoirs,  etc.,  on  the  upper  floors  of  the  building 
will  be  recognized  by  their  being  sectioned  as  shown 
in  the  second  convention  of-  the  key  in  the  corner  of 
the  drawing.  The  rooms  supplied  by  these  ducts 
generally  contain  fireplaces  and  are  vented  by  them. 

There  remain  but  two  other  systems  of  ducts  in 
the  basement — those  exhausting  air  from  rooms 
by  a  fan  and  the  ducts  which  supply  air  to  these 
rooms.  There  are  four  vent  fans  in  the  basement, 
E  E  E  E,  and  to  aid  in  finding  them  the  letter  used 
to  designate  each  fan  is  marked  opposite  the  fan 
along  the  left-hand  border  of  the  drawing.  These 
fans  are  used  solely  to  ventilate  the  kitchen, 
laundry,  and  servants'  quarters  in  the  basement, 
and  the  ducts  which  supply  air  to  these  rooms  can  be 
easily  determined  by  means  of  the  key. 

There  will  be  noticed  on  Fig.  i  on  each  fresh-air 
due*,  at  a  point  near  the  indirect  stack  it  supplies,  a 
rectangle  with  two  diagonal  lines.  These  indicate 
the  location  of  the  switch  dampers  which  regulate  the 
temperature  of  the  air.  Figure  5  shows  a  sketch  of 
a  typical  indirect  stack  with  the  sheet-ir  jn  connec- 


tions, switch,  etc.  The  dampers  are  shown  as 
being  down  in  the  sketch  so  that  the  air  flows 
under  the  coils,  and  turning,  comes  up  through  them 
to  the  short  duct  leading  to  the  base  of  the  flue.  The 
switch  or  by-pass  allows  a  constant  flow  of  pure  air. 
The  dampers  are  operated  by  a  chain  connected  to 
levers,  the  other  end  of  the  chain  being  connected 
to  a  specially  designed  nickel-plated  regulate1-  (Fig  6), 


FIGS 


FiG.6 

THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD, 


either  placed  at  some  central  point  where  it  can  be 
operated  by  the  engineer  or  else  it  is  located  in  the 
room  to  which  the  air  supply  it  controls  leads. 

Baker,  Smith  &  Co.,  of  New  York  City,  were  the 
contractors  for  the  plant. 


HOT-WATER   HEATING  IN  A  MELROSE, 
MASS.,  RESIDENCE. 

THE  method  of  installing  the  hot-water  heating 
apparatus  in  the  residence  of  Mr.  John  A.  Fish,  at 
Melrose,  Mass.,  is  shown  by  the  accompanying 
drawings.  The  system  of  piping  is  simple.  But  one 
main  circuit  pipe  is  used  in  the  basement,  which  not 
only  supplies  the  radiators,  but  receives  the  return 
pipes  also.  The  main  circulating  pipe  in  the  base- 
ment is  carried  as  closely  as  possible  to  the  radiators 
in  order  to  shorten  the  horizontal  branches  to  the 
several  radiators  and  risers. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  flow  pipe  connected  to 
the  radiator  is  the  first  pipe  taken  off  the  circuit,  the 
tee  being  turned  upwards,  while  the  return  pipe  is 
taken  into  a  tee  on  the  circuit  main,  entering  on  its 
side.  These  connections  are  shown  on  the  sketch. 
It  is  desirable  in  erecting  piping  on  this  principle 
that  the  flow  and  return  pipe  enter  the  circuit  as 
shown — that  is,  the  flow  out  of  the  top  and  the  re- 
turn pipe  entering  the  side.  The  main  circuit  pipe 
as  it  leaves  the  heater  is  supposed  to  be  perfectly 
level,  with  the  exception  of  that  part  of  it  running 
back  and  dropping  down  into  the  return  header  at 
the  bottom.  This  pipe  has  a  slight  incline  towards 
the  heater  for  the  purpose  of  draining.  All  the 
piping  in  the  cellar  is  covered  with  asbestos  material. 

A  No.  303  Gurney  hot- water  heater  and  330  square 
feet  of  radiation  form  the  apparatus  for  the  house, 
the  conservatory  being  heated  by  a  coil  containing 
loo  feet  of  i^-inch  pipe.  The  heating  plant  was 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


laid  out  by  Mr.  John  A.  Fish,  of  the  Gurney  Hot- 
Water  Heating  Company,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  and 
has  worked  satisfactorily  and  warmed  the  house 
perfectly  in  very  cold  weather. 


PLAN  OF    CELLAR 


FLOW  PIPE     • 
RETURN  •»    —  — 

Scale  of  feet 

«•  *  *       •« 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  IN  A  CITY  RESI- 
DENCE* 

THE  accompanying  drawings  show  the  hot-water 
heating  apparatus  in  the  residence  of  Mr.  M.  Thal- 
keimer,  of  Richmond,  Va.  A  No.  60  "Spence" 
heater  supplies  hot  water  for  about  i  ,020  square  feet 
of  surface  in  radiators.  Three  of  these  are  of  the 
indirect  system,  while  all  the  others  heat  by  direct 
radiation.  The  air  for  the  indirect  radiators  enters 
the  building  through  a  3&xi2-inch  duct  in  the  base- 
ment. This  divides  into  three  branches,  each  of 
150  square  inches  in  section,  which  supply  the  regis- 
ters on  the  first  floor  with  air.  Each  indirect  coil 
contains  150  square  feet.  As  the  indirect  coils  are  on 
the  same  floor  as  the  heater  a  syphon  is  introduced 
to  maintain  a  circulation  of  water.  In  the  case  of 
the  coils  A  and  B  the  supply  is  run  in  a  vertical 
direction  and  then  dropped  to  the  radiating  coils,  an 
air  valve  being  placed  at  the  highest  point.  In  the 
case  of  the  coil  C  the  method  is  somewhat  different. 
The  pipe  supplying  that  coil  is  carried  to  the  third 
floor  and  supplies  radiators  on  the  second  and  third 
floors.  A  detail  of  their  connections  is  shown  by 
Fig.  5.  It  will  be  seen  that  in  order  to  have  a  con- 
stant circulation  through  the  indirect  coil  in  the  base- 
ment it  would  be  necessary  to  have  either  one  of  the 
radiators  on  the  riser  open,  and  to  permit  both  of 
them  being  closed  at  the  same  time  a  by-pass  was 
introduced  as  shown  in  the  figure.  The  piping  is 
\yz  inches  up  to  the  by-pass  and  13^  inches  beyond, 
so  that  at  all  times  a  part  of  the  hot  water  rising  in 
the  supply  will  go  through  the  by-pass  and  meet  tha 
other  part  which  has  been  cooled  by  passing  through 
the  radiator,  and  thus  give  a  mixture  that  will  con- 

*  S_-e  also  page  16  for  Figs.  2,  3,  and  4. 


HOT- WATER  HEATING  IN   A  MELROSE,  MASS.,  RESIDENCE  . 


26 


THE  ENGINEERJNG  RECORD'S 


tain  a  sufficient  amount  of  heat  for  the  needs  of  the 
indirect  coil  C  in  the  basement. 

At  D,  third-floor  plan,  is  shown  the  method  of 
connecting  the  expansion  tank  to  the  riser  and  return 
marked  E  in  Fig.  i.  the  foundation  plan. 

The  plant  was  laid  out  by  Mr.  Percival  H.  Seward, 
of  the  American  Boiler  Company,  of  New  York, 
while  Messrs.  West  &  Branch,  of  Richmond,  Va., 
were  the  contractors  for  the  work. 


REMODELED  HEATING  PLANT  IN  A  CITY 
RESIDENCE. 

THE  accompanying  plans  show  the  heating  appar- 
atus as  it  now  stands  in  the  residence  of  Mr.  T.  J. 
Hayward,  of  Baltimore,  Md.  The  building  is  located 
upon  a  double  lot  facing  west  and  is  exposed  on  the 
south  and  east.  The  lot  upon  which  the  building 
stands  being  about  60  feet  wide,  an  open  space  is  left 
between  it  and  the  next  house  south;  this  forms  an 
open  passage  for  the  circulation  of  air  coming  from 
any  quarter.  A  strong  wind  from  either  the  east  or 
north  beats  against  the  walls  of  the  adjoining  house 
at  the  south  and  rebounds  against  the  south  wall  of 
Mr.  Hayward's  residence.  On  account  of  these  con- 
ditions the  supply  of  air  for  the  indirect  radiation  is 
taken  from  the  south  with  nearly  the  same  results 
as  though  taken  from  the  north  and  western  direc- 
tions, as  would  be  the  proper  practice  if  the  house 
stood  exposed  on  all  sides. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Hayward's  purchase  the  house 
was  fitted  with  two  sets  of  indirect  steam-heating 
apparatus,  the  front  one  located  at  B  with  an  auxiliary 
stack  of  radiators  at  D  intended  to  heat  the  front 
hall,  the  parlor  and  back  parlor,  and  the  rooms  over 
the  same.  The  rear  apparatus  was  located  at  A, 
with  an  auxiliary  stack  at  E,  the  stack  at  A  being 
intended  to  heat  the  dining  and  smoking  rooms  and 
the  rooms  over  them,  while  the  auxiliary  stack  at  E 
was  to  heat  through  one  flue  the  rear  chamber,  con- 
servatory, and  bath  on  the  second  floo'r  and  two 
rooms  on  the  third  floor.  As  the  amount  of  radiation 
was  insufficient  to  properly  heat  the  house,  the 
arrangement  o£  tne  rear  part  being  especially  unsat- 
isfactory, and  heat  was  required  in  the  two  small 
rooms  over  the  front  hall,  the  rear  heater  was  re- 
moved and  a  hot-water  apparatus  installed  in  its 
place,  and  at  the  same  time  adding  to  it  the  two  un- 
heated  rooms  and  also  the  indirect  radiator  supply- 
ing heat  to  the  front  hall,  this  being  done  to  relieve 
somewhat  the  front  apparatus.  The  following 
season  the  steam  apparatus  at  the  front  was  removed, 
and  the  entire  apparatus  made  over  to  warm  the 
building  by  hot  water.  A  Chesapeake  boiler  was 
installed  at  B,  and  the  hot-water  boiler  in  the  rear 
removed,  its  supply  and  return  pipes,  however,  con- 
nected with  the  new  mains  in  the  front  part  of  the 
building. 

The  building  contains  three  stories  besides  the 
basement,  but  only  the  basement,  first,  and  second 
floors  are  shown,  these  answering  the  purpose  of 
this  description.  The  building  contains  approxi- 
matelv  77,000 cubic  feet  of  space,  and  this  is  warmed 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE 


t>y  1,450  square  feet  of  indirect  and  928  square  feet 
of  direct  radiation.  The  distribution  is  shown  on 
the  plans.  The  indirect  stacks  at  B  are  located  in 
the  space  above  the  boiler,  they  being  inclosed  in 
brickwork  and.  connected  to  the  outer  air  by  the  duct 
C,  which  also  supplies  air  to  another  cluster  of  stacks 
as  shown. 

Sectional  views  are  given  (page  28)  of  the  Chesa- 
peake boiler,  which  was  designed  by  Mr.  Charles  W. 
Newton,  of  Bartlett,  Hay  ward  &  Co.,  that  firm  install- 
ing the  heating  apparatus.  The  boiler  consists,  as 
will  be  seen,  of  two  cast-iron  manifolds  connected  by 
i  i^-inch  pipe  as  shown.  The  lower  manifold,  which 
is  cast  with  a  right  or  left  return  pipe  connection,  is 
rectangular  in  shape,  the  larger  faces  being  bored  to 
receive  the  i>£-inch  pipes  which  form  the  greater 
part  of  the  heating  surface  of  the  boiler.  The  sides 
of  the  lower  manifold  contain  a  web  or  fins  that  ex- 
tend out  as  far  as  the  brick  setting.  The  manifold 
also  serves  as  a  baffle-plate,  compelling  the  products 
of  combustion  to  pass  up  between  the  tubes  and  then 
drop  in  the  rear  of  the  smoke  connection. 

The  boiler  is  fitted  with  a  rocking  grate,  a  rib  on 
each  grate  bar  being  connected  to  the  rocking  bar 
by  pins  as  shown.  The  general  method  of  construc- 
tion of  the  boiler  gives,  the  makers  claim,  a  boiler 
that  is  easily  cleaned,  economical  as  to  cost  of  con- 
structing and  operation,  and  one  that  will  not  be 
liable  to  injury  by  expansion.  The  boiler  can  be 


made  of  less  or  greater  capacity  by  increasing  or  de- 
creasing the  length  of  pipes  and  grate  surface.  Its 
small  height  makes  it  desirable  for  use  in  cellars  with 
low  ceilings. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  A  PHILA- 
DELPHIA SUBURBAN  RESIDENCE. 

THE  accompanying  illustrations  show  details  of  the 
heating  and  ventilating  system  designed  by  the 
Onderdonk  Heating  and  Ventilating  Company  for 
Charles  S.  Onderdonk,  and  installed  in  his  house  at 
Wyncote,  Pa.,  of  which  Wilson  Brothers  &  Co.,  of 
Philadelphia,  are  the  architects.  The  system  is  one 
of  indirect  hot  water,  with  ventilation  of  every  room 
into  a  central  stack  25  inches  in  diameter  in  theclear, 
the  draft  in  which  is  induced  by  a  lo-inch  smoke 
pipe  from  the  boiler.  All  rooms  in  the  front  part  of 
the  house  are  connected  to  this  central  stack  either 
directly  where  it  passes  through  such  rooms  or 
adjacent  to  them,  or  by  means  of  flues,  which  are 
located  in  the  partitions,  proceed  to  the  cellar  and 
are  then  led  by  means  of  horizontal  ducts  into  the 
base  of  the  stack. 

The  kitchen  or  frame  part  of  the  building  receives 
its  ventilation  by  means  ot  a  brick  stack  J,  Fig.  2,  18 
inches  in  the  clear,  in  which  an  8-inch  cast-iron  pipe 
is  placed,  which  induces  the  ventilation  in  that  stack. 
An  opening  is  made  immediately  over  the  kitchen 


J%[W«W«r 


SECOND   TLOOR  PLAN 
FLOOR  PLANS,    HEATING  PLANT   IN   A  BALTIMORE   RESIDENCE. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Longitudinal  Section 

THE  CHESAPEAKE  BOILER.     <See  page  26.) 


Cross  SectionA-B 


range  and  one  at  the  ceiling  of  the  kitchen,  and  the 
rooms  above  the  kitchen  are  ventilated  into  this 
stack. 

A,  B,  C,  D,  E,  F,  G,  and  I  are  downtake  flues  ex- 
hausting the  foul  air  from  the  owner's  bedroom, 
parlor,  sitting-room,  den,  etc.  The  water-closet  on 
the  second  floor  is  ventilated  by  means  of  a  duct  con- 
taining 12  square  inches  of  area,  which  rises  from 
the  adjacent  partition  and  is  connected  to  the  central 
ventilating  stack,  a  connection  also  being  made  to 
the  kitchen  stack  for  use  in  the  summer  months  when 


the  main  ventilating  stack  is  not  heated.     The  pipe 
in  the  main  flue  is  10  inches  in  diameter.  * 

The  valves  on  the  flow  pipes  to  each  radiator  stack 
are  automatically  controlled  by  a  Johnson  electric 
thermostat  in  the  rooms  respectively  served  by  them. 
The  radiators  have  no  air  valves,  but  are  fitted  with 
an  air  pipe  connected  to  an  open  riser  extending  in 
the  main  ventilating  stack  to  above  the  level  of  the 
expansion  tank.  All  registers  for  the  admission  of 
warm  air  to  the  rooms  are  located  6  inches  below  the 
ceiling,  and  those  for  ventilation  are  set  on  the. 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF   A   PHILADELPHIA   SUBURBAN   RESIDENCE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


opposite  side  of  the  room  just  above  the  wash  board. 
Each  stack  of  radiators  is  controlled  in  addition  on 
both  flow  and  return  by  Pratt  &  Cady  brass  gate 
valves. 

The  whole  system  of  piping  is  covered  with  mag. 
nesia  sectional  covering.  In  addition  thereto  the 
water  in  the  boiler  is  prevented  from  reaching  the 
boiling  point  by  means  of  a  Powers  limiting  device, 
which  closes  off  the  draft  just  before  the  water 
reaches  the  boiling  point.  The  water-closet  in  the 
laundry  in  the  basement  is  ventilated  into  the  kitchen 
stack.  The  galvanized-iron  flues  for  heating  when 
erected  were  thoroughly  wrapped  with  asbestos 
paper,  the  openings  in  the  wall  being  thoroughly 
parged  for  the  reception  of  the  flue. 

Fresh  cold  air  is  admitted  from  outdoors  through 
windows  K  K  and  L,  the  two  former  of  which  are 
•opposite  each  other,  and  are  so  arranged  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  house  that  either  one  may  be  closed  and 
the  supply  be  drawn  through  the  other  one  accord- 
ing to  conditions  of  sunshine,  shadow, and  prevailing 
winds.  The  branches  from  the  supply  ducts  to  the 
radiator  stacks  underneath  the  latter  and  so  hidden 
by  them,  are  here  shown  dotted. 

In  Figs  3,  4,  and  5,  the  plans  of  the  first,  second, 
and  third  floors  respectively,  the  fresh  and  foul-air 
flues  are  marked  M,  N,  and  H  respectively,  to  indi- 
cate which  floors  they  serve.  All  registers  are 
marked  R,  with  the  size. 


FIG.  5. 


FIG.  3.  FIG.  4. 

HEATING   AND   VENTILATION    OF  A    PHILADELPHIA    SUBURBAN    RESIDENCE. 


30 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  JJEATJNG  PRACTICE. 


31 


HOT-WATER   HEATING   IN  A  COUNTRY 
RESIDENCE. 

THE  residence  of  Mr.  John  Pettit,  of  Orange,  N.  J., 
was  designed  by  Mr.  Alfred  H.  Thorp,  of  New  York 
City,  while  the  heating  plant  was  installed  by  the 
H.  B.  Smith  Company,  New  York  City.  The  build- 
ing, which  contains  about  113,500  cubic  feet,  is 
warmed  and  ventilated  by  the  indirect  hot- water 
system,  17  indirect  stacks  containing  in  all  3,070 
square  feet  of  radiating  surface  in  Gold  pin  radi- 
ators. Two  coils,  containing  in  all  105  square  feet 
of  surface,  are  placed  in  the  conservatory,  warming 
that  by  direct  radiation. 

Figures  1,2,  and  3  show  the  basement,  first  and 
second  floors  of  the  residence.  There  is  beside  these 


a  third  story,  the  plan  of  which  is  not  shown  in  this 
description.  One  of  the  principal  features  of  this 
plant  is  the  manner  of  running  the  pipe  mains  in  the 
basement,  the  building  being  of  a  somewhat  peculiar 
shape.  The  boiler  plant  consists  of  twe  Mercer  boil- 
ers, and  from  these  a  5-inch  main  A,  Fig.  I,  is 
carried  around  through  the  greater  part  of  the  cellar 
to  the  point  C.  Another  5-inch  branch  B  leaves  the 
boilers  to  supply  indirect  stacks  in  the  remainder  of 
the  basement,  this  branch  likewise  terminating  at 
the  point  C.  At  C  both  of  the  mains  are  connected 
to  a  i6x6o-inch  expansion  tank  located  on  the  floor 
above.  As  each  pipe  is  pitched  so  as  to  rise  slightly 
as  it  departs  from  the  boiler  and  each  connection  to 
the  indirect  stacks  drops  slightly  as  it  leaves  the 


HOT-WATER   HEATING  OF  AN   ORANGE,    N.  J.,    RESIDENCE. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


main,  any  air  in  the  system  will  flow  toward  C,  the 
expansion  tank,  and  in  this  manner  it  is  freed  from 
air  without  the  use  of  a  single  air  valve. 

Still  another  interesting  point  maybe  noted  by 
following  the  main  B  around  until  the  points  D  D  are 
reached,  when  a  2-inch  pipe  leaves  the  main  for 
supplying  an  indirect  stack  for  heating  the  rooms  on 
the  second  and  third  floors.  The  stack  is  placed 
underneath  the  piazza  of  the  house,  this  location 
being  necessitated  by  the  low  level  of  the  floor  of  the 
music-room.  An  examination  of  the  end  of  the 
building,  Fig.  2,  will  show  that  the  music-rtfom  is 
several  feet  lower  than  the  remainder  of  the  first 
floor,  the  organ  being  placed  in  the  extreme  end  of 
the  music-room  at  the  lowest  level.  As  it  would  be 
inconvenient  to  place  the  stack  under  the  floor  and 
be  sure  of  a  good  circulation  it  was  placed  under  the 


piazza  as  shown.  The  expansion  tank  is  closed.  A 
vent  pipe  leads  to  the  roof,  thus  avoiding  a  waste  of 
hot  water  over  the  ordinary  which  must  occur  in  the 
common  open-tank  systems  with  overflow. 


INDIRECT  HEATING  IN  A  RESIDENCE. 
IN  a  residence  at  Chestnut  Hill,  Philadelphia,  for 
Mr.  J.  Levering  Jones,  there  are  one  or  two  details 
in  the  heating  system  which  will  probably  be  of 
interest.  They  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  plans 
of  the  building,  which  were  made  by  Mr.  George  F. 
Pearson,  architect,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.  The  heat- 
ing plans  were  laid  out  by  the  Onderdonk  Heating 
and  Ventilating  Company,  of  the  same  city. 

All  of  the  floor  plans  of  the 
building  are  shown,  and  from 
these  it  will  be  noticed  that  the 
building  is  heated  entirely  by 
the  indirect  system.  Forty-two 
indirect  stacks  situated  in  the 
basement  and  containing  in  all 
2,232  square  feet  of  Gold  pin 
radiators  warm  the  air  for  the 
building.  No  system  of  venti- 
lation is  provided  other  than 
that  obtained  through  numer- 
ous fireplaces,  windows,  etc. 
The  heating  apparatus  is  an 
ordinary  low-pressure,  gravity 
return  steam-heating  system. 
The  radiators  are  inclosed  in 
galvanized-iron  boxes  as  usual, 
and  the  heat  is  conducted  from 
these  through  metal  flues 
placed  in  the  walls  and  de- 
livered through  registers  to  the 


INDIRECT    HEATING   IN    A   PHILADELPHIA   RESIDENCE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


rooms  to  which  they  lead.  The  sizes  of  the 
flues  are  shown  on  Fig.  2,  the  first-story  plan  and 
the  register  sizes  in  the  rooms  in  which  they  are 
located. 

An  interesting  part  of  the  plant  lies  in  the  manner 
of  supplying  air  to  the  radiators.  Because  of  a  desire 
to  save  head  room  in  the  basement,  the  cold  air  is 
supplied  to  the  different  stacks  by  means  of  a  brick 
duct  with  terra-cotta  branches,  both  run  under  the 
floor  of  the  basement.  These  terra-cotta  branches 
«xtend  out  from  the  brick  duct  to  a  point  directly 


beneath  the  indirect  stack  and  connections  are  made 
from  them  to  the  stack  casing  by  means  of  galvan- 
ized iron  pipes.  Figure  5  is  a  rough  sketch  showing 
the  detail  of  a  section  of  brick  cold-air  ducts  and 
connections  to  the  indirect  stacks.  The  joints  of  the 
terra-cotta  pipe  are  made  with  cement  in  the  ordi- 
nary way,  and  the  terra-cotta  elbow  which  occurs 
directly  beneath  the  indirect  stack  is  so  placed  that 
the  bell  comes  over  the  cement  floor  of  the  cellar. 
From  the  elbow  the  galvanized-irdn  pipe  rises  verti- 
cally to  the  radiators. 


FiG.3 

SECOND  STORY 


NURSERY 
3790  Cub.  Ft. 


BOUDOIR        I  CHAMBER    /    CHAMBER 
1890  Cub.  Ft.      I  18 80  Cub  Ft    , 
9»*I2"R  'I       10"* 


FIG.4 

THIRD  STORY 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 
INDIRECT  HEATING  IN   A   PHILADELPHIA   RESIDENCE. 


HEATING  OF  CHURCHES. 


ONE-PIPE   HOT-WATER   HEATING  OP  A 
CHURCH. 

THE  operation  of  a  hot- water  job  which  was  exe- 
cuted recently  led  to  the  unrestricted  employment  of 
the  contractors  to  install  in  a  new  church  edifice  a 
hot-water  system  which  should  heat  it  throughout  to 
a  temperature  of  70°  Fahr.  during  any  weather.  The 
conditions  appearing  favorable,  it  was  decided  to 
install  there  a  one-pipe  system  consisting  of  a  single 
horizontal  main  leaving  the  top  of  the  heater,  encir- 
cling the  room,  and  returning  to  the  bottom  of  the 
heater,  so  that  the  water  should  circulate  continuously 
through  it,  from  top  to  bottom,  and  be  diverted  to 
the  various  radiators  through  short  vertical  branches, 
and  after  circulating  through  them  return  by  parallel 
vertical  branches  to  the  main  pipe  a  few  feet  beyond 
where  it  was  withdrawn.  The  system  embraced  two 
separate  mains  or  circuits  independently  connected 
to  the  heater,  one  to  warm  the  auditorium  and  one  to 
warm  the  adjacent  Sunday-school  room,  parlors,  and 
small  rooms. 

Figure  i  shows  the  arrangement  of  the  rooms  to  be 
warmed  and  the  location  of  the  radiators,  all  of 
which  were  direct  except  one.  The  total  volume  of 


air  to  be  heated  was  about  120,500  cubic  feet,  of 
which  32,856  cubic  feet,  including  the  Sunday-school 
hall  and  the  adjacent  rooms,  was  designed  to  be 
served  by  one  3-inch  main,  Fig.  2.  The  4-inch  main 
served  only  the  auditorium  radiators,  and  each  main 
was  separately  controlled  by  a  valve  at  the  heater,  so 
that  in  case  it  is  desired  to  heat  either  the  Sunday- 
school  or  auditorium  alone,  the  fire  may  be  propor- 
tioned for  the  work  and  the  heat  may  be  concentrated 
entirely  on  the  single  branch. 

Figure  2  is  a  plan  of  the  basement  showing  the 
location  of  heater  and  radiator  branches  and  arrange- 
ment and  size  of  mains.  The  original  Sunday-school 
main  S,  which  was  afterwards  removed,  is  shown  by 
a  broken  double  line,  while  the  auditorium  main  M, 
which  is  still  in  service,  is  shown  by  a  full  double  line. 
The  branches  to  the  radiators  are  shown  by  full 
single  lines  and  the  direction  of  flow  of  the  water  is 
indicated  by  the  arrows. 

Figure  3  shows  the  manner  in  which  the  radiator 
connections  were  made,  the  flow  being  taken  from 
the  top  of  the  main  and  the  return  brought  to  its 
side.  The  branches  were  itf  inches,  but  the  single- 
column  radiators  were  tapped  for  i-inch  connections, 


Mail?  floor  flap. 

05  15  •  25 


Scale  of  Feet. 


ONE-PIPE   HOT-WATER    HEATING   OF   A   CHURCH. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


and  they  were  made  as  shown  by  reducing  elbows. 
The  expansion  tank  was  set  very  high  so  as  to  cause 
a  considerable  pressure  at  the  heater.  When  the 
system  was  operated  the  radiators  at  the  beginning 
of  the  circuits,  as  at  A  and  B,  were  much  hotter  than 
the  most  remote  ones,  as  C  and  D  respectively,  the 
difference  being  as  much  as  20  degrees — i.  e.,  the 


Racti'abor 


water  at  A  was  200°  Fahr.  when  it  was  180°  Fahr.  at 
C.  The  results  secured  in  the  auditorium  were,  how- 
ever, satisfactory,  and  the  general  temperature  of 
the  atmosphere  there  was  high  enough.  This  was 
not  the  case  in  the  Sunday-school  room,  however,  and 
especially  in  one  of  the  adjacent  parlors  which  it  was 


desired  to  keep  warmed  most  of  the  time,  and  in 
which  it  was  found  impossible  to  secure  a  sufficiently 
high  temperature  even  when  the  water  at  the  heater 
was  225°  or  230°  Fahr.,  and  the  valve  two-thirds 
closed  on  the  main  M  so  as  to  divert  most  of  the  cir- 
culation to  the  system  S.  Repeated  trials  were  made 
and  every  promising  device  suggested  was  unsuccess- 
fully tried  to  make  it  work  satisfactorily.  The  main 
was  given  an  increased  pitch  downwards  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  arrows,  some  of  the  hottest  radiators  were 
choked  so  as  to  diminish  their  circulation,  but  nothing 
sufficiently  raised  the  temperature  of  the  remote  radi- 
ators. Still  the  auditorium  would  be  the  hottest  when 
its  valve  was  two-thirds  closed,  and  finally  the  pipe  S 
was  taken  out,  and  the  radiator  branches  connected 
onto  the  two  separate  flow  and  return  mains  F  and  R, 
shown  by  the  single  broken  black  lines.  This  arrange- 
ment secures  a  uniform  operation  of  the  radiators, 
but  has  not  yet  been  tested  by  extremely  cold  weather 
The  heater  is  rated  for  2,200  square  feet  of  radiating 
surface,  and  the  mains  are  hung  from  the  floor  joists 
and  are  all  jacketed. 

The  duty  required  of  the  heater  is  not  greater  than 
is  generally  allowed  by  these  contractors  in  numerous 
satisfactory  jobs,  and  they  are  somewhat  perplexed 
by  the  difference  of  the  results  secured  in  the  audi. 
torium  and  in  the  Sunday-school  part.  In  the  latter 
room  it  has  been  suggested  that  there  might  be  some 
specially  unfavorable  conditions,  but  no  unusual  ex- 
posure is  mentioned,  although  it  is  suggested  that 
the  recesses  for  the  large  vertical  sliding  partitions 
may  furnish  a  conduit  for  the  withdrawal  of  large 
quantities  of  hot  air  from  the  top  of  the  room. 


Original  Main  Now  Removed  =  =  =  =  ^=  = 

Present  F 'lorn  Main 

Present  Keturn  « 

Old  Branches  to  Radiators  Still  Used 


,»-_.! 

?m     m 

'/////, 

I 

l'/4~     '% 

«i  '  J 

'<*•                          P 

\ 

Y////////// 

w^^y^%^^. 

Scale  of  Feet. 


ONE-PIPE    HOT-WATER   HEATING  OF  A   CHURCH. 


18 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


37 


THE  VENTILATION  AND   HEATING  OF  ST. 
AUGUSTINE'S  CHURCH,  BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 

THE  heating  and  ventilating  of  St.  Augustine's 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Sixth 
Avenue  and  Sterling  Place,  Brooklyn ,  N.Y.,  presents 
some  features  of  interest.  The  architects  of  the  build- 
ing were  Messrs.  Parfitt  Brothers,  of  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.,  while  the  heating  and  ventilating  plant  was 
designed  by  Mr.  E.  Rutzler,  of  New  York  City. 

The  church  is  about  176  feet  in  length  by  135  feet 
in  width  Figure  i  shows  a  plan  of  the  basement  of 
the  building  showing  the  building  walls  and  columns 
in  solid  black,  while  the  duct  for  carrying  off  the 
impure  air  is  shaded. 

Two  return-tubular  boilers,  each  54  inches  in 
diameter  and  16  feet  long,  supply  steam  for  the 
heating  system.  The  boilers  are  set  beneath  the 
sidewalk  in  Stirling  Place  while  the  fuel-room  is 
immediately  in  front  of  the  boilers,  this  being  a  con- 
venient location  for  receiving  the  coal  from  the  side- 
walk as  well  as  being  near  the  furnace  doors.  Each 
b  ,iler  is  provided  with  70  3-inch  tubes,  a  Rutzler  au- 
tomatic damper  regulator,  and  a  lever  and  a  spring 
safety  valve. 

Steam  leaves  each  boiler  through  a  6-inch  pipe 
which  runs  into  an  8-inch  cross-drum,  and  from  the 
latter  2j^,  3,  and  4-inch  mains  lead  to  the  different 
divisions  of  the  heating  system.  Each  feeder  pipe 
from  the  boilers  is  supplied  with  a  stop  valve,  as  is 
each  heating  main.  The  2^-inch  main  A  supplies 
five  direct  radiators  B  B  in  the  vestibule.  Each  has 


4it  I 


208  square  feet  of  surface  and  the  whole  warms 
9,814  cubic  feet  of  air.  A  radiator  of  40  square  feet 
of  surface,  also  supplied  by  this  line  of  pipe,  heats 
2,700  square  feet  of  surface  in  the  tower-room. 

The  4- inch  main  C  supplies  3,500  square  feet  of 
surface  in  indirect  coils  and  stacks  distributed  about 
the  basement.  This  surface  is  to  warm  the  air  enter- 
ing the  church,  the  latter  containing  about  502,200 
cubic  feet  of  air.  The  3-inch  main  D  supplies  the 
three  direct  stacks  E  E,  the  two  40  foot  radiators  N 
in  the  north  sacristy  heating  13,104  cubic  feet  of  air 
and  one  72-foot  radiator  G  in  the  south  sacristy 
heating  5,600  cubic  feet  of  air,  one  4o-foot  radiator  H 
warming  the  2,772  cubic  feet  of  the  south  passage, 
two  48-foot  and  one  84-foot  radiators  in  the  base- 
ment. 


All  of  the  steam  mains  are  suspended  by  flexible 
hangers,  which  are  fastened  to  the  I  beams  of  the 
main  floor.  The  return  pipes,  which  are  shown  by 
the  dotted  lines,  are  all  gathered  into  a  4-inch  return 
drum  at  the  boilers.  Each  radiator  or  coil  is  provided 
with  a  steam  and  return  valve  and  an  automatic  air 
valve. 

The  entire  basement  beneath  the  main  part  of  the 
church  is  used  as  an  air  chamber  to  supply  the  in- 


FIG.2 


direct  coils.  The  air  enters  the  basement  through 
two  windows  in  the  north  wall  of  the  church.  The 
window  contains  movable  louver  boards  to  reg- 
ulate or  cut  off  entirely  the  entrance  of  the  air. 
Within  the  basement  a  galvanized  hood  spans  the 
windows  as  shown  by  Fig.  2,  so  as  to  diffuse  the  en 
tering  air  over  the  floor  of  the  basement. 

The  heating  stacks  or  coils  are  constructed  in  the 
method  shown  by  Figs.  3  and  4.  Two  of  these 
stacks  were  placed  under  the  bow  front  of  the  audi- 
torium and  the  other  32  were  put  up  under  the  brick 
arches  between  the  I  beams  which  support  the  main 
floor  of  the  church. 

Each  stack  is  composed  of  four  horizontal  flat- 
spring  coils  of  i  inch  pipe,  put  together  with  branch 
tees  and  staggered  as  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Cast-iron 
saddle  pieces  are  introduced  at  the  proper  distances 
to  hold  the  pipes  in  position  and  to  keep  their 
centers  from  sagging.  These  stacks  vary  in  length 
from  15  to  23  feet.  They  rest  upon  horizontal  bars 
which  are  suspended  by  ^-inch  bolts  which  pass  up 
through  the  brick  arch,  a  cast-iron  plate  being  in- 
troduced between  the  bolt  head  and  the  brickwork 
of  the  arch.  The  lower  end  of  the  bolt  is  threaded 
for  a  considerable  distance  so  as  to  adjust  the  pitch 
of  the  coils  to  insure  their  proper  drainage.  The 
upper  edges  of  a  galvanized-iron  apron  is  made 
draft-tight  with  the  brick  arches  so  that  the  air  pass- 
ing into  the  church  has  to  come  in  contact  with  the 
coils  and  be  thoroughly  warmed.  The  air  enters  the 
church  through  4^ -inch  openings  in  the  manner 
shown  by  the  sectional  view,  Fig.  3.  The  location 
of  these  openings  is  shown  by  the  solid  black  circles 
in  Fig.  i.  Figure  4  is  a  longitudinal  section  through 
the  heating  coils,  the  ventilating  duct  being  shown 
in  elevation  beyond.  The  registers  which  finally 
deliver  the  heat  to  the  church  are  shown  in  section 
by  Fig.  3. 

The  registers  for  drawing  off  the  vitiated  air  from 
the  church  are  placed  under  the  middle  of  the  pews. 
Each  has  an  opening  of  4x8  inches.  These  registers. 


38 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


are  connected  to  the  horizontal  ducts  by  the  smaller 
inclined  ducts  shown  in  Fig.  4.  The  exhaust  ducts 
have  a  sectional  area  of  19  square  feet  as  they  run 
into  a  vertical  ventilating  shaft.  The  ventilating 
shaft  is  150  feet  in  height  and  has  a  sectional  area  of 
26  square  feet.  It  is  intended  at  some  later  date  to 
serve  also  as  a  ventilating  shaft  for  an  adjacent 
school.  This  shaft  contains  a  sheet-iron  stack  30 
inches  in  diameter  for  carrying  off  the  smoke  from 
the  boilers.  It  was  originally  intended  to  exhaust 
the  air  from  the  church  with  a  fan,  but  it  was  found 
out  that  the  heat  radiated  from  the  sheet-iron  chim- 
ney to  the  air  in  the  surrounding  ventilating  stack 
was  sufficient  to  cause  a  draft,  so  that  a  fan  was  not 
necessary. 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  APPARATUS  IN  A 

DANBURY,  CONN.,  CHURCH. 
THE  accompanying  cuts  show  the  plans  of  the 
basement,  first  floor  and  gallery  of  the  Second  Bap- 
tist Church  of  Danbury,  Conn.,  the  heating  plant 
of  which  was  designed  by  Anson  W.  Burchard, 
M.  E.,  and  installed  by  the  J.  M.  Ives  Company,  of 
Danbury,  under  the  direction  of  the  designer,  to 
whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  main  part  of  the  fol- 
lowing description. 

In  designing  a  system  of  heating  and  ventilation 
for  this  building  it  was  considered  necessary  to  pro- 
vide an  apparatus  of  the  simplest  character,  and 
which  could  be  operated  by  an  unskilled  attendant. 
While  it  would  have  been  possible  to  obtain  more 
uniform  and  reliable  results  by  the  use  of  fans  for 
the  purpose  of  creating  a  circulation  of  air  through 
the  ventilating  system,  it  was  decided  that  an  appa- 
ratus in  which  they  were  employed  would  require 
too  much  attention  on  the  part  of  the  janitor;  and  a 
heated  flue  was  adopted  as  the  simplest  arrangement 
for  this  purpose. 

A  hot-water  system  was  considered  more  econom- 
ical of  fuel  than  steam,  particularly  during  those 
periods  when,  there  being  no  service  in  the  building, 
it  would  be  unnecessary  to  maintain  its  temperature 
above  50°  Fahr.;  and  during  the  mild  weather  of  the 
spring  and  fall  seasons  the  temperature  of  the  air 
admitted  for  ventilation  could  be  regulated  by  low- 
ering the  temperature  of  the  stacks,  without  using 
mixing  dampers,  and  overheating  avoided  thereby. 

To  simplify  construction  it  was  decided  to  carry 
out  all  the  vitiated  air  through  a  single  flue,  located 
as  near  the  center  of  the  church  as  possible,  and  the 
fresh  air  was  introduced  near  the  outer  walls,  so  that 
the  direction  of  circulation  is  from  the  outside 
towards  the  center.  The  vitiated  air  is  drawn  from 
the  building  by  numerous  registers  connected  by 
ducts  to  the  base  of  the  large  ventilating  flue.  The 
latter  was  built  in  the  walls  of  the  building  and  was 
carried  2  feet  above  the  ridge,  where  it  was  covered 
by  a  stone  cap,  through  a  hole  in  which  the  smoke 
pipe  passed.  The  covering  stone  was  raised  16 
inches  above  the  top  of  the  flue.  The  smoke  pipe 
was  made  of  No.  14  iron,  in  lo-foot  sections,  which 
were  "  Barffed"  after  being  put  together,  and  these 
were  put  ia  place  as  the  walls  of  the  flue  were  car- 


THE  ENGINEERING    RECORD'S 


ried  up,  being  held  in  position  by  frames  of  i-inch 
pipe,  built  into  the  walls.  A  ladder,  made  by  laying 
pieces  of  i-inch  pipe  across  the  flue  at  intervals  of  16 
inches,  was  provided  to  enable  the  pipe  to  be  in- 
spected or  renewed  if  necessary. 

To  stimulate  the  draft  a  furnace  of  the  brick-set 
type,  having  a  firepot  32  inches  diameter,  with  a 
large  cast-iron  radiator,  was  set  in  the.  bottom  of  the 
flue.  The  fire  and  ash  doors  were  accessible  from 
cellar,  and  manhole  and  cleaning  doors  were  pro- 
vided to  give  access  to  the  flue  and  stack.  The 
smoke  pipe  from  furnace  was  connected  with  boiler 
stack. 

The  main  outlet  ducts  were  built  of  wood,  lined 
with  tin,  with  seams  locked  to  make  them  as  nearly 
air-tight  as  possible.  A  large  tight  fitting  damper 
was  provided  in  the  main  vent  duct  near  its  connec- 
tion with  the  flue,  to  enable  the  current  to  be  regu- 
lated and  to  prevent  the  warm  air  from  being  .drawn 
out  of  the  building  at  those  times  when  no  service  is 
being  held. 

The  air  inlet  ducts  in  the  main  body  of  the  build- 
ing are  made  of  galvanized  iron,  and  those  in  the 
rear  part,  under  the  floor  of  the  dining-room,  are 
built  of  brick,  with  8  inch  side  walls,  wUh  a  4  inch 
arched  top  and  cemented  bottom.  Dampers  were 
provided  where  these  ducts  connect  with  the  outer 
air.  A  connection  is  provided  (A  and  B  in  the  base- 
ment plan)  between  the  main  ventilating  duct  and 
the  main  fresh-air  duct,  with  a  damper,  so  that  air 
may  be  drawn  through  the  radiators  from  the  church, 
and  an  internal  circulation  established,  making  use 
of  the  indirect  radiators  to  assist  in  warming  up  the 
building  before  service.  From  the  large  stack  at  the 
rear  separate  ducts  were  carried  to  each  of  the  sev- 
eral classrooms,  though  not  so  shown  on  the  plan. 

The  indirect  radiators  used  are  of  the  cast-iron  pin 
type,  the  sections  being  36  inches  long  and  12  inches 
deep,  and  were  figured  as  containing  n  r/£  feet  of  sur- 
face per  section.  The  distribution  of  this  surface  is 
shown  on  the  basement  plan.  The  total  amount  of 
indirect  radiation  is  2,565  square  feet.  About  2,839 
square  feet  of  direct  radiation  is  also  provided.  It 
has  been  estimated  that  the  building  contains  about 
223,360  cubic  feet,  and  that  the  air  supply  will 
amount  to  537,200  cubic  feet  of  air  per  hour.  This  is 
sufficient  to  change  the  air  about  once  in  25  minutes, 
but  on  extraordinary  occasions  the  capacity  of  the 
apparatus  may  be  increased  beyond  this  figure. 

In  practice  it  is  usual  to  bring  the  temperature  of 
the  building  up  to  about  75°  Fahr.  half  an  hour  be- 
fore service.  The  dampers  in  the  air  inlet  ducts  and 
the  main  damper  in  the  ventilating  duct  are  kept 
closed  until  this  time,  a  brisk  fire  having  been 
started  in  the  furnace  in  the  shaft  in  the  meantime. 

The  by-pass  damper  is  then  closed  and  the  outer 
air  and  main  ventilating  duct  dampers  opened, 
which  insures  a  fresh  supply  of  air  when  the  congre- 
gation assembles.  The  apparatus  is  operated  in  this 
manner  for  about  30  minutes  after  the  close  of  service 
to  insure  the  removal  of  all  the  vitiated  air. 

It  was  intended  to  provide  sufficient  direct  radia- 
tion to  maintain  a  temperature  of  68°  Fahr.  in  the 


building  with  an  outside  temperature  of  zero,  and 
this  was  figured  on  a  basis  of  0.8  square  foot  of  radi- 
ating surface,  commercial  rating,  per  square  foot  of 
exposed  glass  or  its  equivalent  of  exposed  wall  sur- 
face. The  walls  of  the  building  being  thick  and 
lined  with  sheathing  and  ceiling,  with  paper  be- 
tween, 12  square  feet  of  exposed  wall  surface  was 
taken  as  equivalent  to  one  of  glass.  The  indirect 
radiation  was  calculated  to  warm  the  air  admitted, 
although  practically  it  aids  considerably  in  main- 
taining the  temperature  of  the  building.  The  air 
ducts  were  calculated  for  a  velocity  of  air  through 
them  of  7  feet  per  second,  with  an  allowance  for  long 
or  crooked  pipes,  this  data  having  been  obtained  by 
trial  in  buildings  provided  with  similar  apparatus. 
In  the  classrooms  the  air  is  introduced  at  the  ceil- 
ings. 

The  radiation  in  the  entrance  towers  was  as  great 
as  could  be  conveniently  located,  without  regard  to 
exposed  surface.  The  study  was  provided  with  a 
proportionately  larger  radiator  than  other  parts  of 
the  building,  to  insure  a  comfortable  temperature 
there  when  the  remainder  of  the  building  might  be 
comparatively  cold.  The  mains  were  considered 
ample  to  warm  the  small  rooms  in  the  basement  and 
were  left  uncovered  for  this  purpose. 

Provision  was  made  for  ventilating  the  dining- 
room  in  the  basement  by  drawing  air  from  the  large 
stack  at  the  rear  of  the  building,  it  being  expected 
that  the  registers  in  the  classrooms  would  be  closed 
when  it  was  desired  to  occupy  this  room. 

No  valves  are  provided  for  the  stacks,  but  gate 
valves  are  inserted  in  the  flow  and  return  connec- 
tions to  each  heater,  enabling  the  apparatus  to  be  run 
with  one  heater  during  the  week.  The  boilers  have 
9  square  of  grate  surface  and  230  square  feet  of  heat- 
ing surface  each.  The  expansion  pipes  are  run  sep- 
arately from  each  heater  to  the  expansion  tank. 
There  is  a  thermometer  in  each  main  flow  pipe  near 
the  heater.  The  apparatus  was  erected  in  the  year 
1892. 


STEAM  HEATING  OF  A  BROOKLYN,  N.  Y., 
CHURCH. 

ALL  SAINTS'  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  situated 
at  the  corner  ot  Seventh  Avenue  and  Seventh  Street, 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  has  a  simple  and  effective  steam- 
heating  system  which  was  installed  by  the  E.  T. 
Weymouth  Company,  New  York  City.  Its  main 
features  are  clearly  set  forth  in  the  accompanying 
cuts.  In  a  lower  basement  adjoining  the  church 
edifice  are  placed  the  two  No.  30  "  Allright  "  boilers 
A,  Fig.  i,  cross-connected  by  steam  and  return  mains 
and  flue  connections  so  that  either  or  both  may  be 
used  as  the  service  may  require.  Steam  leaves  the 
boilers  through  the  3-inch  valves  B  which  are  close 
connected  to  the  s-inch  horizontal  cross  pipe  C.  Pipe 
C  passes  through  a  rear  well  into  the  basement 
chapel  and  rises  30  inches  at  D.  It  is  then  run  near 
the  wall  in  a  segment  of  a  circle  E  made  to  conform 
to  the  apsidal  termination  of  the  chancel  and  at  F 
rises  to  within  10  inches  of  the  chapel  ceiling.  From. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


4V 


this  point  by  the  bend  G  it  is  carried  to  the  front  of 
the  edifice.  Crossing  to  the  other  side  return  is  made 
to  point  D  by  bends,  drops  and  a  segment  which  are 
counterparts  of  those  already  described.  The  circuit 
from  the  boilers  to  point  D  is  350  feet  in  length  and 
all  is  of  s-inch  wrought-iron  pipe.  There  is  a  fall  of 
5  inches  in  the  main  from  the  top  of  riser  F  to  the 
point  H  from  which  there  is  an  easy  flow  to  the 
boiler.  The  foot  of  the  stearn  risers  at  D  and  F,  to 
each  of  which  water  runs  with  the  steam,  are  dripped 
by  the  pipe  I  and  below  the  water  line  into  the  main 
return  pipe  J,  which  has  been  reduced  to  3  inches 
at  D. 

With  the  exception  of  the  single  heaters  in  the 
basement,  library  K,  and  the  pastor's  study  P  on  the 
main  floor,  which  have  independent  steam  and 
return  connections,  so  that  they  may  be  used  while 
the  remainder  of  the  radiators  are  shut  off,  all  con- 
nections M  to  radiators  are  taken  from  the  top  of  the 
main  steam  pipe  C  and  are  upon  the  "  one-pipe  sys- 
tem." Each  pair  of  radiators  which  are  located  at 
the  base  of  the  double  windows  is  controlled  by  one 
valve  and  a  long  right  and  left  connection,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  2. 


HEATING   OF    THE    TEMPORARY    CHAPEL, 
CATHEDRAL  OF  ST.  JOHN  THE  DIVINE. 

THE  ceremonies  attending  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone ol  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine  in 
New  York  City  on  December  27,  1892,  were  notable 
not  only  on  account  of  the  gathering  of  prelates  and 
dignitaries,  but  by  reason  of  the  amplitude  of  the 
material  preparations  for  the  comfort  ot  the  partici- 

hR 


pants  and  attendants,  which  were  complete  to  such 
a  degree  as  to  be  remarkable,  if  not  indeed  singular 
in  the  ordering  of  what  was  practically  an  outdoor 
function  at  a  most  trying  season  of  the  year.  The 
cathedral  will  be  the  foremost  ecclesiastical  structure 
in  this  country,  and  perhaps  the  first  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere,  and  its  sightly  location  on  the  plateau 
at  Morningside  Park  is  one  of  the  highest  points  on 
Manhattan  Island.  The  exposure  of  the  location 
and  the  probability  of  cold  or  disagreeable  weather 
led  Bishop  Potter  and  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
cathedral  to  decide  to  build  a  temporary  structure  to 
shelter  the  participants  in  the  ceremonial.  The 
plans  were  accordingly  drawn  by  Messrs.  Heins  &. 
LaFarge,  of  New  York,  the  architects  of  the  cathe- 
dral, and  the  matter  of  carrying  out  the  arrangements 
for  comfort  and  safety  of  those  attending  was  placed, 
in  charge  of  Sexton  Thomas  P.  Browne,  of  St.  Agnes' 
Chapel,  New  York,  with  the  result  that  even  the 
most  trivial  matters  were  made  to  work  almost 
mechanically. 

Typifying  the  form  of  a  cathedral  a  pavilion  was 
constructed  cruciform  in  plan  around  the  corner- 
stone, 106  feet  in  one  direction  and  54  feet  in  the' 
other.  The  foundation  for  the  cornerstone  had  been 
laid  with  great  expedition  by  David  H.  King,  Jr., 
builder,  of  New  York.  A  raised  platform  about  15 
feet  square  was  erected  in  the  center  of  the  pavilion 
around  the  cornerstone  for  the  use  of  those  officiating; 
in  the  ceremony  proper  and  the  Bishop  of  Albany 
who  made  the  occasional  address.  On  all  sides  of  the 
square  platform  were  wide  spaces  facilitating  passage 
to  the  aisles  in  the  na.ve  and  transepts.  In  nave  and 
transepts  were  12  tiers  of  raised  platforms  upon 


(X 

\>                                f 

\j 

2" 

77  3 

'           n 

9 

J 

STEAM   HEATING  OF  A  BROOKLYN,   N.  Y..   CHURCH. 


42 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


which  were  placed  1,100  camp  chairs.  At  each  end 
of  these  platforms  and  in  their  rear  were  4-foot  aisles. 

The  walls  of  the  pavilion,  shown  at  D  in  the 
accompanying  cut,  were  built  up  to  a  height  of  10 
feet  above  the  rear  seats  with  heavy  timber  and 
sheathed  on  the  outside  with  matched  stuff,  painted 
a  lead  color,  and  covered  with  cloth  on  the  inside. 
The  roof  C  was  of  canvas,  supported  at  four  points 
by  poles,  giving  a  clear  space  of  50  feet  from  the 
floor  in  the  center  and  was  securely  fastened  to  the 
top  of  the  wooden  walls.  This  arrangement  was  found 
sufficient  to  prevent  drafts  while  securing  the  needed 
ventilation.  Nine  electric  arc  lamps,  furnished  by 
the  Mount  Morris  Electric  Light  Company,  were  sus- 
pended from  the  poles  and  roof  and  brilliantly  illumi- 
nated the  entire  space.  The  derrick  B,  securely 
fastened  by  guys  to  heavy  ground  stays,  was  used 
for  hoisting  and  setting  the  stone.  The  floor  of  the 
pavilion  and  platform  was  covered  with  body  Brussels 
carpet. 

The  heating  arrangements  were  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Baker,  Smith  &  Co. ,  of  New  York,  and  com- 
prehended a  complete  steam-heating  plant.  By 
working  a  large  force  of  men  continuously  for  three 
days  and  nights  the  installation  was  completed  on 
time,  and  although  it  was  exposed  during  erection  to 
the  chilling  midwinter  blasts,  it  was  found  on  trial  to 
work  perfectly,  so  that  during  the  ceremony,  while 
the  temperature  without  was  near  zero,  it  was  kept  at 
70*  Fahr.  within  the  pavilion,  and  that  without  noise. 

The  locomotive  boiler  F,  54  inches  in  diameter  and 
21  feet  long,  was  housed  in  an  old  barn  E,  its  smoke 
end  passing  through  the  rear  wall  and  the  stack  being 
braced  from  the  roof,  as  shown.  The  exposed  end 
of  the  boiler  was  protected  by  felting.  Radiators  R 
were  placed  about  the  center  platform  and  along  the 
walls  at  the  ends  and  in  the  rear  of  the  tiers  of  seats. 
There  were  2,400  square  feet  of  heating  surface  in 
the  radiators,  and  the  highest  of  them  was  below  the 
water  line  in  the  boiler.  The  4  inch  main  steam  pipe 
G  left  the  dome  with  a  stop  valve,  passed  across  the 
space  from  E  to  the  outside  of  and  down  D  to  a  point 
below  the  inside  upper  aisle,  where  it  entered,  con- 
necting with  the  reducing  valve  H,  which  cut  the  40 
pounds  pressure  on  the  boiler  to  10  pounds  for  heat- 
ing. The  heating  main  branched  into  two  2^-inch 
pipes  I  I,  each  following  the  general  form  of  the 
pavilion  under  the  seating  floor,  preserving  a  uniform 
fall  and  meeting  again  at  the  opposite  side,  dropping 
after  connection  through  J  into  the  main  return  K, 
through  which  all  the  waters  of  condensation  passed 
to  the  pump  governors.  The  main  return  followed 
the  contour  and  declination  of  the  main  steam  pipe 
to  the  governor  L,  which  was  of  the  Kieley  pattern, 
and  controlled  automatically  the  duplex  Worthington 
pump  M ,  which  forced  back  to  the  boiler  through  N 
all  the  waters  of  condensation.  Steam  was  laid  on 
to  the  governor  and  pump  through  P  at  the  full 
boiler  pressure,  pipe  Q  acting  as  a  steam  equalizer. 

There  were  used  in  the  mains  and  risers  of  this  job 
over  3,000  feet  of  pipe,  the  greater  part  of  which, 
being  in  the  well  inclosed  space  under  the  seats  and 
•uncovered,  gave  off  sufficient  heat  to  keep  the  floors 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


warmed.  The  exposed  pipes  between  the  pavilion 
and  boiler-house  were  covered  with  felt,  as  was  the 
end  of  the  boiler  through  the  wall.  Fresh  water  was 
laid  on  to  the  injector  through  O. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  A  BALTI- 
MORE CHURCH. 

THE  First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Baltimore, 
Md. ,  with  connecting  parsonage,  occupying  the  north- 
west corner  of  St.  Paul  and  Third  Streets  in  that  city, 
was  recently  erected  according  to  the  plans  of  McKim, 
Mead  &  White,  of  New  York.  It  is  a  handsome 
^edifice  of  stone,  120x170  feet  in  size,  with  a  square 
tower  on  the  strest  corner  187  feet  high.  The  audi- 


There  are  six  exits  from  the  auditorium  and  three 
from  the  chapel.  A  parsonage  is  located  to  the  right 
of  the  main  entrance  to  the  church  and  forms  a  part 
of  the  architectural  composition.  It  has,  however, 
no  direct  communication  with  the  church  edifice. 

The  edifice  had  been  practically  completed  when 
Bartlett,  Hay  ward  &  Co.,  heating  engineers,  of 
Baltimore,  were  called  upon  to  provide  the  build- 
ing with  a  plant  adequate  to  the  work  to  meet 
the  conditions  as  found.  There  were  no  flues  in 
the  walls  other  than  those  for  smoke  and  fire- 
place flues.  Air  could  only  be  taken  from  one  side 
of  the  cellar,  as  the  side  next  the  street  was  against 
an  embankment.  Two  heating  boilers  were  located 
in  the  basement,  and  were  connected  to  the  several 


FIG,  a 


v///////////////////////////y//^^^ 

TRANSVERSE   SECTION  THROUGH   AUDITORIUM. 


torium  has  a  seating  capacity  of  i  ,400.  The  sittings 
-are  arranged  in  tiers  and  so  spaced  as  to  give  all 
occupants  a  full  view  of  the  altar,  pulpit,  and  organ. 
The  domed  ceiling  rises  65  feet  above  the  main  floor 
and  is  frescoed  from  a  scale  drawing  furnished  by 
Prof.  Simon  Newcomb  and  representing  the  heavens 
as  they  appeared  at  i  o'clock  the  night  after  the 
church  was  dedicated.  The  lighting  is  by  stained- 
glass  windows  just  below  the  base  ot  the  dome 
and  by  incandescent  electric  lamps.  A  chapel 
and  Sunday-school  room  adjoins  the  auditorium  on 
the  rear,  this  part  of  the  edifice  containing  also  a 
iparlor  and  reading  room,  a  kitchen,  toilet  rooms,  etc. 


indirect  radiators,  as  shown  in  the  accompanying 
figures.  Fresh  air  is  taken  in  at  the  points  U  U  U, 
etc.,  Fig.  i.  The  brick-inclosed  heating  stacks  G 
were  uniformly  located,  and  in  order  to  insure  to  each 
stack  an  abundant  supply  of  air  the  passageway  H, 
following  the  contour  of  the  foundation  wall, was  built 
from  floor  to  ceiling  with  ducts  leading  to  the  several 
stacks  from  duct  H,  Fig.  2.  The  air  when  heated 
passes  up  and  into  the  chambers  B,  which  are  formed 
by  the  sub  ceiling  V  extending  around  the  outer  wall 
and  lengthwise  the  center  walls  of  the  basement 
from  i  to  2  feet  below  the  ceiling  proper.  Both  ceil- 
ings are  made  tight,  so  that  air  could  not  be  passed 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


through  either  of  them  excepting  by  the  openings 
provided.  Over  each  duct  leading  to  the  cham- 
bers B  is  the  cold-air  duct  H,  connected  with- 
out dampers  to  the  main  fresh  air  chamber  H.  In 
the  top  of  each  of  these  ducts  are  the  hinged 
dampers  A.  When  these  dampers  are  down  or 
open  the  cold  air  is  allowed  to  pass  down  from  H 
and  into  B,  at  the  same  time  shutting  off  the  flow  of 
hot  air  from  the  heaters  G  into  B.  When  these  damp- 
ers are  up  or  closed  the  hot  air  from  G  is  allowed  to 
pass  into  B,  while  the  cold  air  from  H  is  entirely  shut 
off.  Any  intermediate  position  of  these  dampers  will 
allow  of  a  corresponding  proportionate  flow  of  hot  or 
cold  air,  which,  meeting  and  mixing  in  the  duct  lead- 
ing to  chamber  B,  is  then  passed  into  the  ducts  formed 


tinues  so  long  as  the  contact  is  maintained.  The 
battery  (two  cells  of  Leclanche)  acts  only  when  the 
damper  A  is  in  motion  and  is  thrown  out  of  circuit 
when  the  damper  A  is  completely  opened  or  closed, 
the  result  in  ordinary  winter  weather  being  that 
the  damper  is  partially  opened  and  is  only 
fully  closed  in  the  most  extreme  cold.  By  this 
arrangement  the  entire  chamber  B  is  filled  with 
warmed  air,  and  the  auditorium  floor  is  kept  at 
a  comfortable  temperature.  The  warmed  air  as- 
cending from  the  numerous  and  uniformly  distrib- 
uted inlets  T  stimulates  a  steady  current  of  the  viti- 
ated air  of  respiration  through  the  paneled  openings 
C  in  the  ceiling  cornice  to  the  space  E  between  the 
ceiling  and  the  roof,  and  thence  to  the  external  air 


FIG.  3 


HEATING   AND    VENTILATION   OF  THE  FIRST   M.    E.    CHURCH,    BALTIMORE,    MD. 


by  the  main  floor  joists  and  the  original  basement 
ceiling,  through  the  openings  M,  then  through  the 
several  small  floor  openings  T  on  the  main  floor  and 
gallery,  graduated  to  give  an  equal  flow  under  each 
seat.  The  chamber  below  the  gallery  receives  its 
proportion  through  the  wall  ducts,  shown  by  the 
dotted  lines,  Fig.  2. 

The  mixing  dampers  A  are  automatically  regulated 
by  a  thermo-electric  device,  the  invention  of  Maj. 
George  M.  Sternberg,  Surgeon  U.  S.  A.  The  open- 
ing A  and  the  passage  from  G  to  B  being  properly 
graduated,  the  damper  A  is  set  at  such  a  point  that 
the  proper  amount  of  hot  or  cold  air  can  be  mixed 
and  passed  to  B.  Each  of  the  eight  thermostats 
located  on  the  gallery  columns  at  P,  Fig.  3,  is 
arranged  to  make  an  electrical  contact  on  one  side  at 
"jo  degrees  and  on  the  other  at  69  degrees.  Contact 
with  either  side  slowly  moves  the  damper  A  toward 
the  opening  or  closing  point.  This  movement  con- 


through  the  dormers  F,  the  center-hung  dampers  of 
which  are  controlled  by  chains  descending  to  the 
gallery  floor  in  the  box  L,  Fig.  4,  where  the  sexton 
can  at  any  time  reach  them  by  the  circular  stairs  K. 
The  foul-air  lock  under  the  gallery  is  broken  by  the 
ducts  D,  Fig.  2,  the  currents  being  deflected  rear- 
wards by  the  pedestal  registers  I,  Fig.  5.  The 
movement  of  the  entire  body  of  air  is  gradually  up- 
wards. The  registers  S  S  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit, 
Fig.  3,  are  under  the  individual  control  of  the  occu- 
pant of  the  pulpit,  who  can  at  any  time  open  or  close 
them  by  a  lever  X,  Fig.  6,  hidden  beneath  the  pulpit 
top,  the  dampers  being  so  arranged  that  he  can  have 
hot,  cold  or  tempered  air  at  will.  This  system  of  air  in- 
flow, regulation  and  distribution  is  designed  to  allow  of 
a  uniform  current  of  cooled,  fresh  air  from  basement 
to  auditorium  during  the  summer  season.  The  doors 
W  allow  entrance  to  the  air  passageway  H  for  collect- 
ing accumulated  dust,  for  whitewashing  or  repairs. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


45 


The  operation  of  ventilation  is  in  use  only  from  the 
time  the  congregation  has  assembled,  during  service 
and  until  the  auditorium  has  been  emptied,  when  the 
sexton  closes  the  tight  dampers  at  U,  opens  the  door 
Y,  Fig.  3,  and  the  doors  W,  Fig.  i,  and  closes  the 
dampers  F  in  the  roof  dormers.  The  air  of  the  audi- 
torium then  passes  through  Y  down  the  circular 
passageway  K  and  by  the  basement  hall  into  H  by 
the  doors  W,  into  and  through  the  heating  stacks  G, 


FIG.  6 


making  the  circuit  again  into  the  auditorium.  By 
this  arrangement  the  auditorium  is  at  no  time  left  to 
be  chilled,  and  a  very  small  amount  of  fuel  suffices 
to  keep  it  in  a  condition  to  be  comfortably  heated  on 
short  notice,  when  the  operation  is  reversed  and  the 
air  is  taken  from  the  outside. 

The  parlor  and  reading  room,  women's  toilet  and 
infants'  Sunday-school  rooms  in  the  basement  of  the 
chapel  building  are  heated  by  direct  radiators.  The 
chapel  and  Sunday-schoel  room  above,  the  pastor's 


room  and  the  vestibule  on  the  main  floor  are  heated 
by  direct  radiators,  those  in  the  chapel  and  Sunday- 
school  room  having  individual  fresh-air  ducts  from 
outside,  which  are  regulated  to  suit  by  close-fitting 
dampers,  making  a  combination  of  direct  or  indirect 
.heating  at  will.  The  pastor's  room  is  also  supplied 


with  a  fireplace.  The  kitchen  is  heated  by  the  range, 
which  is  part  of  a  complete  cooking  outfit  for  use  in 
entertainments.  The  plumbing  is  of  approved  form. 
The  men's  toilet  room  and  the  vault  are  ventilated 
into  flues  adjoining  the  fireplace  in  the  parlor.  The 
fuel  room  is  ample  for  coal  storage,  and  a  fireproof 
vault  is  provided  for  storing  the  church  records,  etc. 
Figure  i  shows  a  plan  of  the  basement,  Fig.  2  a 
transverse  section  through  the  auditorium  showing 
radiator  chambers,  ducts,  tempering  apparatus  and 
dormer  ventilating  dampers,  Fig.  3  a  plan  of  the 
main  floor  showing  the  location  of  hot-air  flues,  fresh- 
air  inlets  to  radiators,  warm  and  cold  air  inlets,  ther- 
mostats on  gallery  columns,  Fig.  4  a  plan  of  the 
gallery,  showing  air  inlets  and  location  of  pedestal 
registers,  Fig.  5  end  and  front  elevations  of  pedestal 
register  for  vent  flues  from  under  the  gallery,  and 
Fig.  6  the  arrangement  for  individual  control,  from 
the  pastor's  desk,  of  the  air  supply  to  the  pulpit  plat- 
form. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION   OF  A 
ROCKFORD  CHURCH. 

THE  Congregational  Church  at  Rockford,  111.,  has 
recently  been  completed  according  to  plans  of  Archi- 
tect D.  S.  Schureman.  The  heating  system  is  steam 
of  the  low-pressure  gravity  type.  The  ventilation  is 
accomplished  by  the  plenum  movement.  Both  are 
clearly  shown  by  the  accompanying  illustrations. 
Figure  i  is  the  basement  plan,  Fig.  2  is  the  first- 
floor  plan,  and  Fig,  3  is  a  sectional  elevation  through 
the  church  auditorium.  Referring  to  the  basement 
plan.it  will  be  seen  that  the  boiler  is  located  at  a 
lower  level  than  any  other  part  of  the  basement,  so 
as  to  permit  the  return  of  condensation  from  the 
indirect  radiators  and  other  parts  of  the  system  by 
gravity.  The  basement  plan  also  shows  location  of 
the  large  massed  stack  of  indirect  radiators,  the  fan 
and  the  fan  chamber,  the  electric  motor  and  the 
motor-room,  and  the  sizes  of  the  main  supply  pipes  to 
the  different  direct  radiators  of  the  several  portions 
of  the  house.  The  low  space  under  the  whole  church 
auditorium  is  used  as  a  plenum  chamber  into  which 
air  is  forced,  and  thence  finds  its  way  into  the  audi- 
torium through  numerous  small  round  register  open- 
ings placed  under  the  seats. 

The  Sunday-school  section  is  supplied  with  fresh 
air  by  means  of  a  separate  system  of  galvanized-iron 
pipes  leading  directly  from  the  fan,  discharging  air 
into  the  several  rooms  through  registers,  as  shown. 
The  indirect  radiator  chamber  is  provided  with  a 
tempering  damper,  so  that  air  may  be  forced  into  the 
plenum  space,  or  Sunday-school  section,  at  any  de- 
sired temperature.  It  is  also  provided  with  an  indoor 
connection  damper  A,  Fig.  i,  so  that  air  can  be  cir- 
culated over  and  over  again  in  the  church  audito- 
rium, so  as  to  more  rapidly  warm  the  building  in  ex- 
tremely cold  weather.  The  choir  platform  is  so 
arranged  that  a  room  underneath  it  is  formed  with 
an  exceptionally  high  ceiling  from  which  the  large 
massed  stack  of  indirect  radiators  is  suspended.  The 
first-floor  plan  shows  the  location  of  the  direct  radi- 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


RADIATORS 
REGISTERS 
FLUL5  O 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF   A   ROCKFORD,    ILL.,   CHURCH. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


4T 


ators  and  a  few  large  register  openings.  Small  reg- 
isters under  seats  are  not  shown.  In  the  second 
story  of  the  church  there  are  radiators  in  the  gallery 
and  also  in  small  Sunday-schoolrooms.  The  appa- 
ratus is  laid  out  with  the  Sunday-school  direct  radi- 
a'ors  in  one  independent  section,  the  direct  radiators 
of  the  church  in  another  section,  and  the  indirect  ra- 
diators of  the  ventilation  in  another  section,  so  that 
the  apparatus  can  be  operated  to  suit  the  require- 
ments of  a  church  building. 

In  practice  it  is  found  that  the  direct  radiators  in 
the  Sunday-school  section  are  kept  going  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  winter  season.  When  an 
audience  is  assembled  the  fan  is  started  up  for  the 


tially  one  ventilating  shaft  in  which  the  current  is 
always  upward.  This  method  of  ventilation  can  be 
used  in  summer  as  well  as  in  winter,  regardless  of 
the  open  windows.  The  fireplaces  and  other  verti- 
cal vent  flues  furnish  ventilation  for  several  rooms 
in  the  Sunday-school  section  of  the  building.  It  is 
claimed  that  considering  relative  first  cost,  this 
scheme  is  better  adapted  to  the  conditions  and 
requirements  of  ventilation  for  the  different  seasons 
than  other  systems  requiring  exhaust  fans  in  addi- 
tion to  the  plenum  fans,  and  complicated  system  of 
exhaust  ducts  and  flues. 

The  apparatus  was  designed  and  installed  by  the 
L.  H.  Prentice  Company,  of  Chicago. 


HEATING   AND    VENTILATION    OF   A   ROCKFORD,    ILL.,    CHURCH. 


purpose  of  furnishing  ventilation.  Should  the  rooms 
then  become  overheated,  the  tempering  damper  is 
set  to  reduce  the  temperature  of  the  incoming  air  to 
a  point  between  65  and  70  degrees.  Should  the  rooms 
still  remain  overheated,  the  direct  radiators  are  shut 
off  by  means  of  the  main  controlling  valves  in  the 
boiler-room.  When  the  assembly  has  dispersed  the 
fan  is  stopped  and  the  valves  in  the  boiler-room 
controlling  the  direct-radiator  section  are  then 
turned  on  again.  The  same  method  also  obtains  in 
the  larger  part  of  the  building,  excepting  that  the 
direct-radiator  section  is  not  turned  on  again  until  a 
few  hours  before  the  auditorium  is  used.  Then  all 
the  direct  radiators  and  the  indoor  connections  are 
brought  into  use  to  rapidly  accomplish  the  desired 
results.  After  the  air  has  been  introduced  into  the 
auditorium  through  the  small  round  registers  under 
each  seat  it  is  carried  directly  upward  and  finds  its 
exit  through  skylight  ventilators  in  the  roof,  which 
are  closed  when  the  church  is  not  in  use.  It  will  be 
thus  seen  that  the  entire  auditorium  becomes  essen- 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  IN  A  CHURCH  AND 
RECTORY, 

PART  I. — GENERAL  DESCRIPTION,  VIEW  OF  HEATERS  AND 
RECTORY  SYSTEM,  AND  PLAN  AND  PIPE  SYSTEM  OF  THE 
CHURCH. 

ST.  MARY'S  CHURCH  at  South  Amboy,  N.  J.,  is  a 
brick  building  measuring  about  60x130  feet,  and  has 
a  large,  high  basement  used  as  a  Sunday-school 
room.  It  was  built  about  1881,  and  was  furnished 
with  a  hot-air  heating  system,  with  two  furnaces  in 
the  basement.  In  1890  a  large  three-story  and  base- 
ment brick  rectory  was  built  adjacent  to  it  and  a  hot- 
water  heating,  direct  radiator  cystem,  was  constructed 
to  warm  it  and  replace  the  old  hot-air  system  in  the 
church.  L.  J.  O'Connor,  of  New  York,  is  the  archi- 
tect, and  Johnson  &  Co.,  of  Catskill,  N,  Y.,  are  the 
contractors. 

Two  large  hot-water  boilers  are  placed  in  the 
cellar  of  the  church,  and  from  them  the  hot  water  is 
distributed  and  returned  through  two  sets  of  hori- 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


zontal  pipes,  from  3  inches  to  5  inches  in  diameter, 
which  are  suspended  close  to  the  ceiling  in  the  rectory 
basement  and  church  basement,  and  are  connected 
by  vertical  branches  to  the  radiators  above,  which 
heat  the  upper  stories.  The  main  pipes  are  jacketed. 

Figure  i  is  an  isometric  view  of  the  boilers  and  of 
the  main  pipes  in  the  rectory  basement,  including 
the  foot  of  the  rising  lines  to  radiators  above.  E  E 
are  two  No.  131  Gurney  boilers  with  a  1 2-inch  smoke 
flue.  These  boilers  are  made  in  nine  sections  each, 
have  each  about  5^  square  feet  of  grate  surface,  and 
A  total  connected  radiating  surface,  inclusive  of  pipe 
tnains,  of  about  4,000  square  feet.  They  are  freely 
connected  to  the  main  flow  pipe  J  by  the  5- inch 
branches  I  I,  and  to  the  return  main  G  by  s-inch 
branches.  M  is  a  stop-cock  controlling  the  i-inch 
emptying  pipe  which  discharges  into  the  sewer. 

The  rectory  system  is  all  connected  to  the  branches 
H  and  I  of  the  church  system  mains  T  and  K,  which, 


between  the  two  buildings,  are  laid  in  a  trench  about 
3  feet  below  the  surface,  and  protected  by  the  box 
shown  in  section  in  Fig.  2.  This  box  is  made  of  2- 
inch  tarred  pine  plank.  It  is  about  7x13  inches 
inside  dimensions,  and  is  packed  with  mineral 
wool. 

Of  the  radiators  in  the  rectory,  one  on  the  second 
and  one  on  the  third  floor  are  connected  to  risers  N; 
the  risers  O  connect  with  one  on  the  second  floor; 
the  risers  P  with  one  on  the  first  floor;  risers  Q  with 
two  on  the  second  and  two  on  the  third  floors;  risers 
R  with  one  on  the  first  floor;  risers  S  with  one  on 
the  second  and  one  on  the  third  floor;  risers  T  and  U 
each  with  one  on  the  first  floor;  and  riser  V  with  one 
on  the  second  floor. 

Gurney  radiators  are  used  throughout,  and  are 
decorated  in  gilt.  The  radiators  and  exposed  pipes 
are  painted  a  drab  color  and  are  trimmed  with  gold 
bronze. 


0 


HOT-WATER   HEATING   IN   A    CHURCH    AND    RECTORY. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


Figure  3  is  a  plan  of  the  church,  showing  in  full 
black  lines  the  flow  and  return  pipes,  which  are 
really  hidden  below  the  floor,  at  the  extremities  of 
which  are  the  risers  to  the  radiators.  J  and  K  are 
respectively  the  flow  and  return  mains,  shown  in 
Fig.  i,  where  they  are  designated  by  the  same 
letters.  H  H,  etc.,  are  the  sittings.  The  altar  is  at 
I  and  the  vestibule  at  L.  A  A  are  Bartlett  &  Hay- 
ward  radiators,  each  with  56  pipes,  6  feet  6  inches 
long.  B  is  a  67  irch  Gurney  radiator;  C  is  a  7i-inch 
Gurney  radiator;  D  D,  etc.,  are  4-pipe  wall  coils, with 
branches  4g  feet  and  6  feet  long;  E  E  E  are  Bartlett 
&  Hayward  radiators,  each  with  88  pipes  7  feet  long, 
and  G  and  G  are  Gurney  60- inch  radiators. 

PART  II. — INTERIOR  OF  CHURCH,  SPECIAL  SUPPLY  CON- 
NECTIONS FOR  WALL  COILS  AND  DOUBLE  RADIATORS 
AND  REDUCING  FITTINGS,  ETC.,  AT  RISERS. 

FIGURE  4  is  a  view  of  the  church  interior,  showing 
the  position  of  the  radiators,  which  are  indicated  by 
the  same  letters,  A,  B,  D,  E,  F,  and  G,  as  in  Fig.  3. 


pitched  down  to  O  O  49  feet  away,  thence,  at  the 
same  grade,  to  P  P,  where  the  bottom  pipes  almost 
touch  the  floor. 

Figures  9,  10,  and  n  show  the  connections  of  the 
main  pipes  at  points  A,  B,  and  C  respectively  of 
Fig.  i. 


STEAM  HEATING  IN  TRINITY  CHURCH. 
NEW  YORK. 

OLD  Trinity  Church,  Broadway,  New  York,  has 
been  for  many  years  heated  chiefly  by  a  hot-air  fur- 
nace system.  This  has  been  supplemented  by  direct 
steam  radiator  coils  in  the  tower  and  vestibules,  and 
recently  a  system  of  indirect  steam  radiators  has  been 
constructed  for  warming  the  main  part  of  the  build- 
ing, C.  C.  Haight,  of  New  York,  being  the  architect, 
and  the  Q.  N.  Evans  Construction  Company,  also  of 
New  York,  the  contractors. 

Cold  fresh  air  is  drawn  in  from  out-of-doors,  passed 
through  filtering  screens  and  up  and  down  and  be- 


HOT-WATER   HEATING  IN   A  CHURCH  AND   RECTORY. 


Figure  5  shows  the  connections  of  radiator  A  A, 
which  are  supplied  by  a  single  riser  P.  They  have 
separate  return  pipes  Q  Q,  and  air  valves  R  R. 
Figure  6  shows  the  connections  of  radiators  F  F  and 
G,  Fig.  4,  to  the  flow  and  return  pipes  Y  and  Z. 
Radiators  F  F  are  similar  to  A  A,  Fig.  4,  and  are 
supplied  in  the  same  manner. 

Figure  7  shows  the  connections  of  wall  coils  D  D, 
Fig.  4;  L  is  the  flow  and  M  M  are  the  return  branches. 
Figure  8  shows  how  the  pipes  are  connected  at  N, 
Fig.  7,  to  the  manifolds  T  T,  and  both. supplied 
through  one  branch  S;  R  is  an  air  valve.  The  top 
pipes  are  raised  to  the  bottoms  of  the  seats  at  N,  and 


tween  the  pipes  of  steam  radiators.  Thence  a  blower 
forces  it  through  a  brick  passageway  under  the 
church  floor,  where  it  is  carried  in  smaller  brick  con- 
duits across  the  nave  and  down  under  each  aisle. 
These  conduits  are  closed  at  their  farther  ends  and 
have  pipes  opening  into  their  walls,  through  which 
the  air  is  forced  into  sheet  iron,  trough-like  conduits, 
at  the  floor  level  along  both  sides  of  the  aisles,  and 
escapes  in  six  thin,  continuous  sheets,  which  extend 
along  each  row  of  sittings.  The  air  is  thus  distrib- 
uted all  through  the  room,  and,  being  admitted  at  the 
coldest  part  so  as  to  strike  downwards  upon  the  floor, 
is  diffused  and  uniformly  tempered. 


50 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


51 


Figure  i  shows  the  general  plan  of  the  building  and 
the  location  of  the  heating  plant  and  air  ducts  be- 
neath the  floor. 

Figure  2  shows  the  blower  F,  Fig.  i,  and  the  ma- 
sonry in  which  it  is  set.  Another  view  of  it  is  given 
in  Fig.  3,  which  is  a  sectional  diagram  of  the  filter 
and  heating  chambers  and  shows,  by  arrows,  the 
course  of  the  fresh  air  as  it  is  admitted,  warmed  and 
expelled  through  conduit  G.  Q,  Q',  and  I  are  the 
steam  radiators,  of  which  an  enlarged  perspective 


sides.     Steam  is  admitted  to  the  box  and  circulates 
through  the  tubes. 

The  temperature  is  controlled  by  the  Johnson  heat 
regulating  system,  as  constructed  by  the  Metropoli- 
tan Electric  Service  Company,  of  New  York.  Two 
thermostats  are  used,  one  set  at  63  degrees  for  the  air 
in  the  church  and  the  other  at  85  degrees  for  the  air 
in  the  hot  chamber.  When  the  temperature  in  the 
chamber  rises  above  85  degrees  the  sensitive  bar  of 
the  thermostat  expands  in  one  direction,  makes  a 


view  is  given  in  Fig.  4.  This  clearly  shows  their 
arrangements  and  connections,  and  the  steam  engine 
H,  which  drives  the  blower. 

Figure  5  is  a  perspective  of  filter-room,  showing 
part  of  the  sieves  V,  through  which  the  fresh  air 
must  pass  to  enter  the  heating  chambers.  These 
sieves  are  simply  folding  screen  frames  covered  with 
cheese-cloth,  and  the  radiators  Q  and  Q'  are  essen- 
tially cast-iron  boxes  with  numerous  pipes,  closed  at 
their  outer  ends,  protruding  from  each  of  the  inclined 


contact  which  causes  the  electric  current  to  open  a 
valve,  admitting  air  under  pressure  to  the  steam 
valve,  which  is  thus  closed  and  the  steam  shut  off 
from  the  radiator.  Falling  temperature  causes  the 
sensitive  bar  to  expand  in  the  other  direction,  reverse 
the  valves,  turn  on  steam,  and  so  on. 

Mr.  Haight,  the  architect,  reports  that  with  about 
120  revolutions  of  the  fan  per  minute,  the  normal 
rate,  12,000  cubic  feet  of  air  is  forced  into  the  church, 
and  so  equally  distributed  that  there  is  no  annoy- 


STEAM   HEATING   IN  TRINITY   CHURCH,   NEW   YORK. 


5s> 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


ance  from  drafts.  With  crowded  congregations  the 
air  is  fresh  and  clean,  and  the  temperature  varies 
less  than  2  degrees. 

Figure  2  is  an  enlarged  section  at  Z  Z  of  Fig.  i , 
and  Fig.  3  is  a  section  at  Y  Y  of  Fig.  2.  Fig.  4  is  a 
perspective  from  W,  Fig.  i,  and  Fig.  5  is  a  perspec- 
tive from  X,  Fig.  i. 


External  air  is  drawn  through  gratings  at  C  and  D, 
passes  through  the  screen  N  (Figs.  4  and  5)  in  the 
filter-room,  through  slits  U  U,  etc.,  in  wall  X,  and  up 
through  radiators  Q  Q,  over  partition  wall  V,  down 
through  radiators  Cj  Q',  and  through  the  door  Y,  in 
wall  W,  to  the  fan  F.  The  latter  forces  it  through 
the  6ox6o~inch  flue  G  at  an  actual  velocity  of  abou  t 
200  feet  per  second  to  the  distributing  ducts  B  B,  etc. , 


100"' 
Indirect  Stack.. 


which,  at  intervals  of  about  6  feet,  through  pipes  bb, 
etc.,  diffuse  it  throughout  the  aisles. 

The  duct  B  has  a  lip  a  (see  detail,  Fig.  i),  designed 
to  deflect  the  air  against  the  floor  and  diffuse  it  as 
indicated  by  arrows.  The  branches  b  b,  etc.,  have 
valves,  not  shown  here,  which  are  not  generally 
used,  but  are  provided  for  controlling  the  branches 
separately  if  necessary. 

The  fresh-air  inlets  have  a  total  cross-section  of 
about  12  square  feet.  The  filter  chamber  and  radia- 
tor chambers  are  thoroughly  whitewashed,  and  easily 
accessible  for  cleaning,  etc. 

Steam  is  generated  in  a  54-inch  steam  boiler,  12  feet 
long,  containing  58  n-inch  tubes,  and  is  delivered  by 
branch  I,  Fig.  i,  to  direct  radiators  in  vestibules, 
etc.,  and  through  J  to  the  branches  P  P,  which  sup- 
ply radiators  Q  Q'.  etc.,  Fig  .  3,  4,  and  5,  and  branch 
O  to  a  5  horse-power  engine  H.  The  latter  drives  the 
72  inch  Sturtevant  blower  F.  S  S,  etc.,  Fig.  4,  are 
air  vents  brought  together  outside  the  radiator  cham- 
ber and  connected  with  the  sewer.  The  steam  and 
water  of  condensation  from  the  radiators  Q  Q',  etc  , 
is  returned  through  pipes  R  R  to  the  trap  S,  whence 
the  remaining  steam  is  delivered,  by  pipe  M,  to  a 
Gold  extended  surface  radiator  I,  placed  in  inlet  D, 
to  utilize  the  remaining  heat.  Y  Y,  Fig,  4,  are  man- 
hole doors,  and  T  T  are  gas-pipe  frames  supporting 
the  radiators  Q  O',  etc. 


STEAM  HEATING  OF  A  CHURCH. 

THE  steam-heating  plant  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 

Church    at  Montgomery,   Orange    County,    N.   Y., 

possesses  in  its  details  several  points  of  interest. 

The  church  is  about  80  feet  in  length  by  50  feet  in 


Reg, 

ICO°'\ 
Indirect  S^c/T 


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,                             SCALE  OF  FEET                                     Hedter 
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--^        ... 


STEAM    HEATING   OF   A   CHURCH   AT   MONTGOMERY,   N.  Y. 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


53 


width,  the  body  of  the  church  containing  about  96,- 
ooo  cubic  feet  and  the  vestibule  about  4,000  cubic 
feet. 

One  of  the  conditions  entering  into  the  design  of 
the  heating  plant  was  that  the  mains  supplying  the 
radiators  should  not  be  carried  along  the  side  wall  of 
the  church  on  account  of  the  room  they  would  occupy, 
yet  it  was  thought  best  to  run  the  steam  mains  above 
the  floor  of  the  church  so  as  to  use  them  as  radiating 
surfaces  and  also  save  the  cost  of  pipe  covering  and 
extra  surface  in  radiators  had  these  mains  been 
placed  in  the  cellar. 


FiG.2 


carried  back  in  the  same  manner  described  so  as  to 
give  that  amount  of  additional  surface  in  that  part 
of  the  building.  At  the  front  of  the  church  connec 
tions  lead  from  the  mains  to  supply  steam  to  two  in- 
direct stacks,  each  containing  100  square  feet  of 
heating  surface.  The  air  warmed  by  these  stacks  is 
discharged  into  the  vestibule  of  the  church.  The 
body  of  the  church  is  heated  by  direct  radiation. 
Three  radiators,  each  containing  96  square  feet  of 
surface,  are  distributed  along  each  side  wall.  These 
radiators  are  connected  to  the  adjacent  steam  main 
in  the  manner  shown  by  Fig.  2.  The  supply  pipe  for 
each  radiator  drops  from  the  underside  of  the  main 
into  a  nearly  horizontal  pipe  running  across  under 
the  floor  to  the  radiator.  This  pipe,  which  is  pitched 
so  as  to  drain  toward  the  radiator,  terminates  in  a 
tee,  one  branch  of  which  leads  upward  to  the  radi- 
ator, while  the  other,  which  serves  as  a  drain  pipe, 
drops  into  the  main  return  pipe  which  encircles  the 
cellar  as  shown  in  Fig.  i. 

The  plant  was  designed  by  Mr.  W.  M.  Mackey,  of 
Hart  &  Grouse,  of  New  York  City.  Mr.  J.  H.  Wal- 
lace, of  Pine  Brush,  N.  Y.,  was  the  contractor  for 
the  work. 


A  No.  23  Royal  steam  heater  is  placed  in  the  cellar 
under  the  rear  of  the  church,  and  from  this  heater 
pipes  lead  in  opposite  directions  to  the  two  steam 
mains,  each  of  which  is  carried  down  the  middle  of 
each  block  of  pews  from  the  rear  to  the  front  of  the 
church.  Each  main  starts  about  15  inches  above  the 
floor  and  is  pitched  so  as  to  drop  about  6  inches  in 
the  length  of  the  building.  The  steam  main  then 
returns,  dropping  to  the  floor  as  it  reaches  the  rear 
or  boiler  end  of  the  church.  The  steam  mam  was 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  OF  A  CITY  CHURCH. 
THE  Church  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer,  in  East 
Third  Street,  New  York  City,  one  of  the  largest 
churches  in  the  city,  was  formerly  heated  by  steam, 
and  while  there  was  ample  radiating  surface  to  fur- 
nish sufficient  heat  for  the  building  it  was  not  always 
noiseless  in  operation,  and  required  constant  atten- 
tion and  a  large  consumption  of  fuel  to  properly  heat 
the  building,  and  when  neglected  for  any  length  of 
time,  as  was  often  the  case,  the  building  cooled 
down.  While  the  question  of  improving  the  appa- 
ratus was  given  considerable  attention,  the  general 
arrangement  of  the  building  prevented  any  improve- 
ments to  the  steam-heating  apparatus. 


HOT- WATER  HEATING  OF  A,  NEW   YORK   CITY   CHUECH. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


After  consulting  with  Mr.  W.  M.  Mackay,  of  New 
York  City,  it  was  decided  to  remove  the  steam  ap- 
paratus and  replace  it  with  a  hot-water  heating  sys- 
tem. Wishing  to  keep  the  aisles  free  from  radiators, 
radiating  surface  in  the  form  of  ij^-inch  pipe  was 
arranged  below  each  seat,  giving  a  uniform  dis- 
tribution of  heat  and  without  discomfort  to  the  occu- 
pants of  the  seats,  for  with  hot  water  the  radiating 
surface  can  be  kept  at  a  much  lower  temperature 
than  with  steam. 

Support  for  Flaw  arid ReturnPijKS.  FIGr.3 

Showing Piping  under  Seat. 


It  was  decided  to  utilize  the  boiler  which  had  been 
used  for  heating  the  building  by  steam,  and  a  6-inch 
flow  and  return  pipe  was  connected  to  it  and  carried 
about  loo  feet,  rising  into  the  church  at  the  front  of 
the  pews,  where  it  was  divided  into  two  4-inch  flow 
and  return  mains,  each  of  which  was  carried  along 
the  partitions  between  the  pews  below  the  seats,  the 


FICl.  4 


flow  pipe  being  carried  above  the  return  and  con- 
nected together  through  two  coils  of  2-inch  pipe  at 
the  entrance  of  the  church.  From  the  side  of  this 
flow  and  return  pipe  a  loop  of  i^-inch  pipe  10  feet 
long  is  carried  along  under  the  seat.  There  are 
about  300  feet  of  2-inch  pipe,  2,000  feet  of  i^-inch 
pipe,  and  about  400  feet  of  4-inch  pipe  used  for  radi- 
ation. 

Figure  i  shows  a  plan  of  the  piping,  while  Fig.  2 
shows  the  method  of  supporting  the  4-inch  flow  and 
return  pipes.  The  support  consists  of  a  bar  of  iron 
2xi£  inch  bent  in  the  form  shown,  with  holes  drilled 
to  receive  the  rollers  upon  which  the  pipes  rest. 
Figure  3  shows  a  view  of  the  piping  under  the  seat. 
The  outer  end  of  the  i^-inch  piping  is  supported  by 
a  cast-iron  hook  which  is  screwed  into  the  underside 
of  the  top  of  the  seat. 

Figure  4  shows  the  method  of  connecting  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  4-inch  flow  and  return  pipes  (at  A,  Fig. 
i).  It  also  shows  the  connection  with  the  expansion 
tank. 

Figure  5  shows  the  special  casting  employed  in 
running  the  4-inch  mains  around  the  columns  in  the 
church. 

The  plant  is  said  to  have  given  excellent  satisfac- 
tion, it  being  noiseless,  economical  in  operation,  and 
furnishes  abundant  heat  for  the  needs  of  the  build- 
ing. Messrs.  Albert  A.  Cryer  &  Co.,  of  New  York 
City,  were  the  contractors  for  the  job. 


Special  ~cas tings  at  Column*. 


In  reference  to  this  work  "  Heating,"  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  writes: 

"  I  have  read  with  interest  and  profit  your  de- 
scription of  the  hot-water  heating  system  in  the 
Church  of  the  Most  Holy  Redeemer,  New  York  City, 
but  I  cannot  see  why  branch  pipes  were  not  put 
under  the  pews  in  the  middle  aisle.  How  is  the 
warmed  air  drawn  to  the  center  of  the  church, 
especially  near  the  floor?  Where  is  the  expansion 
tank  located,  if  one  is  used,  or  do  they  use  only  a 
stand-pipe  for  a  vapor  pipe  ?  " 

[We  have  referred  the  above  questions  to  Mr. 
Mackay,  the  designer  of  the  plant,  who  informs  us 
that  provision  was  originally  made  for  placing  pipes 
under  the  center  as  well  as  the  side  pews,  but  these 
were  not  found  necessary  and  were  never  put  in. 
As  the  radiation  is  interposed  between  the  exposed 
walls  of  the  church  and  the  center  of  the  building, 
the  colder  currents  of  air  descending  close  to  the 
walls  must  pass  over  the  coils  to  reach  the  center  of 
the  church,  and  air  is  thus  tempered.  If,  however, 
the  air  was  at  rest  in  the  center  of  the  church  and 
out  of  the  current  produced  by  the  alternate  warming 
and  cooling,  it  would  hardly  cool,  as  it  is  surrounded 
by  a  warm  body  of  air,  and  is  not  in  contact  with 
any  cold  surface.  The  described  system  is  said  to 
have  heated  the  church  most  uniformly.  The  ex- 
pansion tank  is  placed  almost  over  the  boiler,  and 
consists  of  a  plumbers'  i4-gallon  cast-iron  tank  with 
an  overflow  and  supply  controlled  by  a  ball  cock. 
The  vertical  pipe  shown  in  the  sketch  (Fig.  4,  D.  194) 
is  only  used  to  relieve  the  system  of  air.] 


HEATING  OF  SCHOOLS. 


HOT- WATER    HEATING    IN    THE  CONVENT 
OF  THE  VISITATION,  ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

FART     I. — GENERAL    DESCRIPTION     AND    PLAN    OF    BASE- 
MENT,   PIPE  LINES,   HEATER-ROOM   AND   FIRST   FLOOR. 

THE  Convent  of  the  Visitation  is  a  large  new  build- 
ing of  a  U-shaped  plan,  five  stories  in  height  above 
the  basement,  and  is  situated  on  high  ground  near 
St.  Louis,  Mo.  The  main  front  is  352  feet  with  wings, 
the  entire  frontage  aggregating  about  725  feet.  The 
heating  system  was  installed  by  the  Detroit  Heating 
and  Lighting  Company,  from  whose  original  data  we 
have  prepared  the  description  and  illustration  of  the 
work. 

The  system  is  of  direct  hot-water  radiators,  with 
double  lines  of  similar  pipes  for  flow  and  return 
throughout,  and  is  designed  to  maintain  a  tempera- 
ture of  65  degrees  in  the  interior  space  which  is 
exposed  to  the  effect  of  winds  and  radiation  from 
large  window  surface  on  all  sides.  The  water  is 
heated  in  nine  boilers  set  in  batteries  of  four  and  five 
and  so  connected  up  that  any  or  all  of  them  may  be 
used  at  once  or  disconnected  for  repairs. 

The  boilers  are  of  the  Bolton  pattern,  4o"x8',  with 
zoo  2-inch  tubes  each,  set  in  ordinary  brick  setting. 
Their  draft  is  governed  by  automatic  damper  regu- 
lators and  expansion  and  waste  of  water  is  provided 
for  by  two  open-roof  tanks,  one  for  each  battery, 
which  tanks  are  supplied  by  city  water  through  a 
ball  cock.  Radiators  are  used  throughout  and  all 
their  flow  and  return  branches  are  provided  with 
valves,  each  of  which  has  a  lock  and  key. 

From  the  lo-inch  main  header,  to  which  branches 
from  each  boiler  are  connected  with  valves,  there 
are  taken  eight  main  flow  pipes  which  start  with 
diameters  of  5,6,  and  8  inches,  and  run  horizontally 
along  the  basement  ceiling  with  diminishing  sections 
proportioned  to  the  number  of  vertical  risers  to  be 
supplied  beyond  any  given  point.  The  longest  hori- 
zontal main  extends  about  210  feet  from  the  boiler, 
where  it  is  6  inches,  to  the  extremity,  when  it  be- 
comes i^f  inches  and  rises  to  the  third  floor.  The 
risers  are  i,  i^,  i*A,  2,  or  2^  inches  in  diameter,  ac- 
cording to  their  length  and  the  number  of  radiators, 
never  more  than  10,  which  are  connected  to  each. 
The  horizontal  pipe  is  supported  on  rollers  to  allow 
expansion  and  contraction  movements,  and  the  ver- 
tical lines  and  their  branches  are  designed  to  provide 
for  the  maximum  displacements. 

In  Fig.  i  the  flow  mains  are  shown  in  full  black 
lines  and  the  return  mains,  which  are  in  all  cases  of 
corresponding  size,  are  indicated  by  parallel  dotted 
lines  alongside.  The  risers  are  designated  by  small 
circles,  marked,  for  example,  thus.  2  R42oII.,  III.  and 
IV.,  indicating  that  it  is  a  2-inch  riser  supplying  420 


square  feet  of  radiator  surface  on  the  second,  third, 
and  fourth  floors. 

Figure  2  is  a  plan  showing  arrangement  of  rooms 
on  the  first  floor,  their  contents  in  cubic  feet  and  the 
size  and  location  of  riser  lines  and  the  position  and 
surface  of  radiators.  The  risers  are  designated  as  in 
Fig.  i.  The  radiators  are  indicated  by  small  rectan- 
gles with  cross-hatching;  circles  at  each  end  show 
their  connecting  branches,  whose  diameter  in  inches 
is  marked  alongside,  and  in  the  center  of  each  room 
is  a  number  designating  the  volume  of  the  room  in 
cubic  feet,  as,  for  example,  in  the  academy  refectory 
the  space  is  17,664  cubic  feet,  and  there  are  three  ra- 
diators, each  with  i^-inch  connections,  and  having 
160  square  feet  of  radiating  surface,  besides  a  160- 
foot  coil  in  the  alcove. 

PART  II. — PLANS  OF  THE  SECOND,  THIRD,  FOURTH,  AND 
FIFTH  STORIES,  VOLUMK  AND  ARRANGEMENT  OF 
ROOMS,  AND  SIZE  AND  LOCATION  OF  RADIATORS. 

THE  convent  building  contains  about  1,036,290 
cubic  feet  of  space  which  is  heated,  and  these  figures 
do  not  include  the  cell  rooms  and  other  rooms  not 
heated.  These  rooms  contain  over  85,418  square 
feet  of  floor  surface.  There  is  61,462  feet  of  exposed 
outside  wall  surface  in  the  rooms  where  the  heating 
apparatus  is  directly  placed.  The  system  of  heaters 
has  an  aggregate  of  80  feet  of  grate  surface  and  a 
total  of  2,325  feet  of  fire  surface. 

This  building  has  168  radiators  manufactured  by 
the  Standard  Radiator  Company,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
These  168  radiators  contain  a  total  of  27,421  super- 
ficial feet  of  radiating  surface. 

To  properly  connect  these  boilers  and  radiators 
required  8,056  superficial  feet  of  radiating  surface, 
and  other  mains  and  risers  of  the  building  make  a 
total  of  35,477  feet  of  radiating  surface  attached  to 
this  system  of  Bolton  heaters.  The  farthest  radiator 
in  each  wing  of  the  building  is  located  250  feet  dis- 
tant from  the  boiler  including  the  main  and  riser  to 
the  third  floor. 

Figure  3  is  a  plan  of  the  second  floor,  the  different 
rooms  being  designated  as  follows:  A,  directress; 
B,  bathroom;  C,  classroom;  D,  dormitory,  E,  mother 
superior's  cabinet;  F,  assembly  room;  G,  study;  H 
H,  etc.,  cells;  I,  linen  closet;  J,  museum;  K,  academy 
parlor;  L  L  L,  special  parlors;  M,  monastery  parlor; 
N,  bathroom;  O  O  O,  oratories;  P,  reception-room. 

Figure  4  is  a  plan  of  the  third  floor  with  the  rooms 
as  follows:  A,  pharmacy;  B,  bathroom;  C  C,  class- 
rooms; D,  dormitory;  E  E,  children's  infirmary;  F, 
patients'  dining  room;  G  G,  sacristies;  H  H,  etc., 
cells;  I,  chapel;  K,  sisters'  choir;  LL,  libraries;  M  M 
M,  sisters'  infirmaries;  N,  ante-choir;  O,  dining- 
room. 


66 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORDS 


Figure  5  is  a  plan  of  the 
fourth  floor.  D,  dormitory;  H 
H,  etc.,  cells;  B,  bathroom;  Q, 
chapter-room;  T,  trunk-room; 
U,  closet;  V,  locker-room;  W, 
art-rooms;  X,  students'  choir; 
Y,  chapel  gallery;  Z,  novitiates' 
room. 

Figure  6  is  a  plan  of  the 
fifth-story  rooms  and  fourth- 
story  roof,  and  shows  the  posi- 
tion of  expansion  tanks  and 
their  branches  to  the  risers 
from  each  distribution  main 
line.  In  Figs.  3,  4,  5,  and  6, 
the  radiators  are  indicated  by 
solid  black  rectangles,  and  the 
adjacent  number  shows  their 
square  feet  of  radiating  surf  ace. 

They  are  supplied  from  riser  lines  shown  in  Figs,  i 
and  2,  but  omitted  here  for  clearness.  The  figures 
written  in  the  center  of  the  rooms  give  their  respec- 
tive contents  in  cubic  feet;  for  example,  Room  Q. 
Fig.  5,  has  a  volume  of  12,397  cubic  feet. 

PART  III. — ARRANGEMENT  OF  BOILERS,  SMOKE  PIPES, 
FLOW  AND  RETURN  PIPES,  AND  RADIATOR  CON- 
NECTIONS. 

FIGURE  7  is  a  plan  of  the  boiler-room  drawn  to  a 
large  scale.  This  shows  two  batteries  of  boilers  set 
opposite  to  each  other,  shows  the  main  lo-inch  header 
and  boiler  connection,  the  chimney,  which  1824x24 
inches,  and  general  arrangement  of  the  piping  im- 
mediately connected  with  the  boilers  in  the  boiler- 
room. 

Figure  8  is  a  section  of  the  boiler-room  showing 
the  front  of  the  battery  of  five  heaters.  Each  flow 
and  return  header  in  the  boiler-room  has  a  hot-water 
thermometer  giving  the  temperature  of  the  water  in 
the  mam.  There  is  also  one  altitude  gauge  in  the 
boiler-room  to  notify  of  any  change  in  the  water  level 
of  the  apparatus.  The  heaters  are  cf  the  Bolton 
pattern. 

The  valves  used  on  the  main  flow  and  return  con- 
nections are  flanged  gate  valves;  radiator  valves  are 
Belknap's  quick  open- 
ing,   and    the  valves 
are  all  turned  with  a 
key. 

The  smoke  pipes 
from  both  batteries 
are  as  shown  in  the 
plan  connected  to  en- 
ter the  chimney  with 
a  united  area  of  576 
square  inches.  The 
draft  is  governed  by 
a  check  damper  in 
smoke  pipe,  and  the 
expansion  and  waste 
of  water  is  provided 
for  by  two  expansion 
tanks  at  O  O,  Fig.  6, 
at  either  extremity  of 


H 


-y3  •'»  'A. 

STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


the  main  building.  These  tanks, 
Fig.  9,  are  constructed  of  boiler-iron 
one-fourth  inch  thick,  are  30  inches 
diameter  by  36  inches  high,  and 
each  tank  has  a  3  inch  flow  pipe 
from  the  horizontal  main  under 
the  building  and  return  pipes  of 
smaller  size.  Each  tank  has  3-inch 
overflow  extending  through  the  roof, 
vhere  the  overflow  reaches  the  con- 
ductor pipe.  Each  tank  is  also 
furnished  with  automatic  valve  for 
supplying  the  apparatus  with  water. 

All  overflow  and  return  pipes  are 
provided  with  valves  in   the  boiler- 
room   for    shutting  off  each   service 
without    interfering  with    the   main 
system,   and  admit   of  drawing   off 
the  water  for  any  possible  necessary 
repairs.     It  is  claimed  that  this  chimney  for  a  boiler 
of  other  construction  would  have  failed  to  have  given 
draft  for  this  amount  of  grate  surface;  but  that  with 
this  peculiar  boiler  the  draft  from  the  chimney  is  all 
that  is  required.     Expansion   is  provided  for  in  the 
manner  in  which  the   branches  are  taken   from  the 
main. 

All  radiator  connections  are  ground  union.      The 
radiators  with  but  few  exceptions  are  standard  radi- 


•ators,  37  J^  inches  high.  No  attempt  has  been  made 
at  ventilation  except  what  is  secured  by  the  transoms 
which  are  over  nearly  all  the  windows. 

Figure  10  shows  a  card  with  the  different  methods 
of  connecting  branches  to  mains  illustrated.  These 
different  connections  are 
designated  by  a  number. 
Accompanying  each  set 
of  drawings  which  have 
been  furnished  by  the 
Detroit  Heating  and 
Lighting  Company,  is 
one  of  these  cards.  Each 
tee  connection  in  the 
piping  system  has  a  num- 
ber shown  on  the  draw 
ing,  which  refers  to  this 
figure  and  illustrates  to 
the  fitter  or  others  how 
the  connection  with  the 
mains  should  be  made  in 
the  system  of  piping. 


Thus    Fig.    i 
•branch    taken 


shows    a 
off    hori- 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


zontally  with  the  main.  This 
connection  would  be  used  when 
a  connection  was  to  be  taken 
off  near  the  boiler  or  a  rapid 
circulation  not  desired.  Figure 
2  shows  a  connection  taken  off 
the  main  at  an  angle  of  45 
degrees;  this  would  increase 
the  flow  in  the  branches  and 
would  be  used  when  at  a  dis- 
tance from  the  boiler  and  a 
greater  circulation  was  re- 
quired than  where  Fig.  i  was 
used.  Figure  3  shows  a  con- 
nection taken  vertically  from 
the  main.  This  would  give  a 


strong  circulation  and 
would  be  used  on 
large  radiators  or  at 
a  distance  from  the 
boiler.  The  three  con- 
nections at  the  bottom 
of  the  cut  of  this  figure 
show  that  the  return 
connections  should 
enter  the  main  only 
on  the  side  and  the 
various  ways  of  ac- 


STEAM  AND  HOT. WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


61 


complishing  that  result.  This 
simple  card  illustrates  fully  to 
the  fitter  how  he  should  make 
his  connection  and  has  been 
found  of  great  advantage  to 
this  company  since  its  adop- 
tion. 

No  special  fittings  were  used 
in  the  introduction  of  this  heat- 
ing apparatus,  the  ordinary 
fittings  being  used  with  the 
illustration  shown  by  this 
figure. 

The  material  used  in  heating 
this  building  aggregated  be- 


^ \<L±    "3 did  J^^ 


tween  10  and  12  carloads.  The 
total  contract  for  heating  the 
building  amounted  to  about 
$25,000.  The  ventilation  is  ac- 
complished by  the  use  of  tran- 
soms at  the  top  of  nearly  every 
window  in  the  entire  building. 
The  boilers  were  installed  by 
Messrs.  Brislin  &  Sheble,  of  St. 
Louis,  from  plans  furnished  by 
the  Detroit  Heating  and  Light- 
ing Company,  executed  under 
the  direction  of  their  heating 


<52 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


TH»  ENCINEIKINC  RECORD, 


HOT-WATER    HEATING    IN   THE   CONVENT    OF    THE 
VISITATION,    ST.    LOUIS,    MO. 

engineer,  Mr.  L.  S.  Daniels.  The  building  was 
designed  by  Architects  Barnett  &  Haynes,  of  St. 
Louis,  and  built  by  General  Contractors  B.  Webber 
&  Son,  also  of  St.  Louis. 


WARMING  AND   VENTILATING   IN  THE 

COLLEGE   OF   PHYSICIANS  AND 

SURGEONS,  NEW  YORK. 

PART  I. 

THE  steam  heating  and  ventilating  apparatus  in 
the  building  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, at  the  corner  of  Fifty-ninth  Street  and  Tenth 
Avenue,  New  York  City,  embraces  features  of  more 


than  ordinary  interest,  representing  probably  the- 
first  practical  application  of  what  is  known  as  the 
twin  duct  system.  In  this  system,  as  devised  by 
William  J.  Baldwin,  of  New  York,  indej endent 
branches  of  hot  and  cold  air  ducts  are  provided  for 
each  room  of  the  building,  the  hot-air  supply  being 
taken  from  central  heating  chambers,  and  the  tem- 
perature of  each  room  being  controllable  without 
affecting  the  temperature  of  the  air  supply  entering 
any  other  room  in  the  building.  In  this  last  respect 
the  system  secures  the  same  result  realized  by  the 
plan  of  having  mixed  chambers  and  valves  in  com- 
bination with  independent  stacks  of  radiators  for 
each  vertical  flue,  with  this  difference,  that  in  the 
system  here  described  the  occupant  of  a  room  con- 
trols his  own  heat,  no  matter  how  far  from  the  source 
of  supply,  without  assistance  from  the  engineer  or 
janitor.  Where,  however,  a  building  covering  con- 
siderable area  is  to  be  heated,  the  item  of  cost  at- 
tached to  putting  in  a  large  number  of  such  inde- 
pendent radiator  stacks  becomes  considerable,  and 
in  such  a  case  the  double  duct  system  would  seem 
to  commend  itself  favorably.  In  the  system,  as  ap- 
plied in  the  present  instance,  there  are,  moreover, 
in  connection  with  the  hot-air  or  steam  coil  chambers, 
separate  chambers  containing  coils  for  removing  the 
chill  from  the  entering  fresh  air.  The  air  supply 
which  passes  through  the  cold-air  ducts  and  through 
the  main  heating  coils  into  che  hot-air  ducts  is  there- 
fore never  cold  in  the  ordinary  accepted  sense  of 
the  word,  and  hence  in  the  illustrations  published 
the  ducts  marked  "  warm  "  correspond  really  to  cold- 
air  ducts.  The  illustrations  show  a  general  cellar 
plan  and  a  vertical  longitudinal  section  through  the 
middle  building  of  the  group  of  three,  and  show  the 
main  features  of  the  whole  system. 

There  are,  in  all,  five  horizontal  tubular  boilers 
which  furnish  steam  for  all  purposes  in  this  and 
adjacent  buildings.  Two  6"x4"x6"  duplex  pumps, 
marked  P  P,  serve  for  pumping  water  to  the  top  of 
the  house  and  for  feeding  the  boilers,  and  are  ac- 
cordingly arranged  for  pumping  hot  water  which  is 
drawn  from  the  tank  into  which  all  water  of  conden- 
sation is  discharged.  The  pumps  are  arranged  io 
that  they  can  be  operated  direct  by  throttle  valves, 
or  independently  by  an  automatic  pump  governor. 
Four  6x6-inch  New  York  Safety  Steam  Power  Com- 
pany vertical  engines  E  are  used  to  drive  the  fans 
F,  each  engine  being  connected  with  its  respective 
fan  in  the  manner  shown.  The  fans,  four  in  number, 
supplied  by  the  Nason  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
New  York,  are  each  6  feet  in  diameter,  and  from 
1,000,000  to  1,250,000  cubic  feet  capacity  each,  ac- 
cording to  the  speed  at  which  they  are  run.  All  the 
engines  and  pumps  exhaust  into  a  5-inch  main  ex- 
haust pipe  which  extends  to  the  roof  of  the  building. 
A  branch  from  this  pipe  leads  to  a.  feed-water  heater 
and  back  again  into  the  pipe.  Another  branch,  5 
inches  in  diameter,  supplies  exhaust  steam  to  the 
coils  in  the  casing  A,  A',  B,  C,  D,  G,  and  L,  after 
the  steam  has  been  passed  through  a  "  skimming 
tank,  "where  the  oil  from  the  engines  is  separated 
from  it.  These  coils  are  of  the  gridiron  type,  made 
up  of  a  number  of  sections  each.  The  sections  have 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


68 


an  average  length  of  10  feet,  not  including  the  spring 
pieces  which  measure  about  2  feet.  The  pipes  of 
the  coils  are  covered  with  secondary  wire  surface 
made  of  No.  14  square  iron  wire,  and  known  as 
Gold's  compound  coil  surface.  The  coil  stands  are 
made  of  pipes  and  fittings,  and  are  so  arranged  that 
each  section  can  be  drawn  out  for  repairs  without 
disturbing  those  others.  Each  section,  moreover,  is 
fed  separately  by  a  2-inch  steam  pipe  with  a  valve 
in  the  engine-room  and  the  return  pipe  also  come 
separately  into  the  engine-room.  The  coils  are  in- 
closed in  galvanized-iron  casings,  open  at  the  bot- 
tom, and  connecting  with  the  air  duct  at  the  top,  as 
shown  more  clearly  in  the  vertical  section.  Swing- 
ing dampers  are  arranged  in  the  bottoms  and  near 
the  tops  of  these  casings,  so  that  a  mixture  of  hot 
and  relatively  cold  air  may  enter  the  distributing 
ducts,  the  proportions  being  readily  controlled  by 
opening  or  closing  the  different  dampers. 

In  front  ot  the  four  fresh- air  inlet  windows  primary 
steam  coils  S,  supplied  with  live  steam,  are  set  up. 
These  coils  aggregate  about  1,600  lineal  feet  of  i-inch 
pipe,  covered  with  secondary  wire  surface,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  main  heating  coils.  The  entering  air, 
which  thus  receives  what  may  be  called  an  initial 
heating,  reaches  the  settling  chambers,  marked  on 
the  plan,  and  from  these  is  drawn  by  the  fans  into 
the  four  heating  chambers,  containing  the  coils  and 
castings  A,  A',  B,  C,  D,  L,  and  G.  It  is  well  to  ex- 
plain here  that  the  coils  B  and  G  are  not  ordinarily 
supplied  with  steam,  but  are  designed  to  be  used  as 
substitutes  for  the  coils  A  and  D  in  case  of  repairs, 
in  which  case  the  "warm"  duct  would  be  used  as 
the  "  hot"  one.  It  should  be  remembered  also  that 
the  air  ducts  from  A  and  B,  and  from  D  and  G  to- 
gether lead  to  twin  flues  and  discharge  into  the 
same  rooms.  The  air  which  passes  into  the  casings 


B  and  G,  therefore,  is  not  further  heaced,  but  is 
simply  at  that  comparatively  low  temperature  which 
has  been  imparted  to  it  in  passing  through  the  pri- 
mary coils.  The  air  which  passes  through  the 
casings  A  and  D,  on  the  other  hand,  is  further  heated 
to  the  much  higher  temperature  due  to  the  hot  coils 
within.  The  hot  and  warm  air  supplies  from  the 
casings  A  and  B  and  D  and  G  discharge  into  the 
same  register  boxes,  as  already  intimated,  and  the 
proportions  of  each  may  be  varied  by  special  slide 
valves  at  the  register  face.  These  valves  or  dampers 
are  so  constructed  that  they  will  allow  the  air  from 
one  of  the  twin  flues  to  escape  separately,  or  admit 
a  part  of  the  air  from  each  flue,  one  flue  opening  in 
the  proportion  the  other  is  closed.  Two  streams  of 
air  of  different  temperatures  may  thus  be  admitted 
to  the  register  box,  where  they  mix  and  thence  pass 
through  the  register  face,  and  at  the  same  time  is 
beyond  the  power  of  the  occupants  of  the  rooms  to 
shut  off  both  pipes  at  the  same  time.  The  ducts 
leading  to  the  dissecting-room,  amphitheater,  and 
lecture-room,  from  the  casings  C,  A',  and  L,  supply 
only  warm  air,  the  temperature  of  which  is  regu- 
lated by  the  engineer,  the  double  duct  system  not 
being  used  for  these.  The  lecture-room  duct,  as 
shown  in  the  vertical  section,  discharges  into  the 
space  under  the  seats  and  from  there  the  warm  air 
issues  into  the  room  through  openings  in  front  of 
each  row  of  seats.  The  warm-air  discharge  into 
the  amphitheater  is  effected  in  the  same  way.  For 
the  dissecting-room  a  special  arrangement  of  dis- 
charge was  adopted. 
The  architect  is  W.  Wheeler  Smith,  of  New  York. 

PART  II. 

IN  heating  the  dissecting-room  the  double-duct 
system  is  not  used,  heat  and  ventilation  being  se- 


Tic.  I- pLworFowm STCRY fiwwHc T^NTILKTINC CORNICE 

STEAM   HEATING  AND   VENTILATING   AT  THE   COLLEGE  OF  PHYSICIANS  AND   SURGEONS.    NEW  YORK. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


cured  by  the  arrangement  illustrated  in  the  accom- 
panying illustrations. 

The  hot-air  flues  marked  H  in  the  plan  of  the  dis- 
secting-room leading  from  below  have  no  registers, 
the  flue  openings  connecting  with  9x1 2-inch  galvan- 
ized iron  boxes  or  cornices  which  run  around  the 
room  so  as  to  form  a  continuous  box  in  appearance. 
Internal  partitions  P,  Fig.  i,  however,  divide  it  up 
into  sections  so  that  the  air  from  one  flue  cannot  pass 
into  the  section  connected  with  another  flue.  The 
front  side  of  the  box  or  cornice  is  made  with  8-inch 
ornamental  panels,  those  marked  P,  immediately 
opposite  the  openings  of  the  flues  H,  being  solid, 
while  those  at  the  sides,  as  P',  shown  in  the  enlarged 
view  of  the  cornice.  Fig.  2,  being  open  and  provided 
with  wire  netting.  In  the  interior  of  the  cornice, 
moreover,  and  opposite  every  flue  opening,  a  deflec- 
tor D  is  arranged  so  that  the  hot  air  readily  passes 
to  the  right  and  left  along  the  line  of  the  cornice  and 
escapes  into  the  room  through  the  open  panels,  as 
indicated  by  arrows.  The  office  of  the  blank  panel  P  is 
simply  to  prevent  the  direct  flow  of  hot  air  from  the  flue 
H  into  the  room  which  would  be  detrimental  to  uni- 
form diffusion  without  drafts.  The  whole  cornice  is 
fastened  to  the  walls  and  ceiling  with  plugs  and  screws. 

For  the  separate  ventilation  of  the  dissecting-room, 
a  matter  of  prime  importance,  special  ventilating 


flues  and  ducts  were  provided.  The  plan  of  the 
space  between  the  ceiling  and  roof,  Fig.  3,  explains 
the  nature  of  the  arrangement  adopted.  The  hot  air 
coming  from  the  heating  or  ventilating  cornice,  as  it 
is  called,  ascends,  and,  coming  in  contact  with  the 
relatively  cold  glass  roof,  falls  to  the  floor  level,  at 
which  the  mouths  of  the  various  ventilating  flues 
open.  These  are  marked  V  in  the  plan  of  the  dis- 
secting-room, and  are  shown  with  arrows  leading 
into  them.  They  are  shown  also  in  the  vertical  sec- 
tion through  the  dissecting-room,  together  with  their 
connection  with  the  overhead  ventilating  ducts  V. 
These  are  arranged  in  the  space  between  the  ceiling 
and  roof,  and  are  made  of  galvanized  iron.  The 
ventilating  flues  for  the  dissecting-room  are  shown 
black  in  Fig.  3,  the  ducts  being  clearly  outlined,  and 
connecting  through  a  main  duct  with  one  compart- 
ment of  the  aspirating  shaft,  shown  at  the  upper 
right-hand  corner.  The  boiler  furnace  flue  A  is  car- 
ried up  inside  of  this  shaft. 

It  will  be  noted  that  besides  the  black  ventilating 
flues  a  large  number  of  other  flues  are  shown  in  the 
walls,  Fig.  3.  These  flues  are  for  ventilating  rooms 
on  the  lower  floors,  and  discharge  directly  into  the 
roof  space,  from  which  the  foul  air  passes  into 
one  of  the  other  compartments  or  the  aspirating 
shaft. 


1  — 

'V 

fp^^—  -  —  =^i 

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*-^                          Zf-f.il/ 

S  k  Y      \Lif.HT 

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, 

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._ ^ 

s.  3  -PLHN 

STEAM   HEATING  AND   VENTILATING  AT   THE  COLLEGE  OF   PHYSir"ftNS   AND   SURGEONS,   NEW   YORK. 


66 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


fi7 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  OF  VANDER- 
BILT  HALL.  YALE  COLLEGE. 

THE  new  Vanderbilt  Hall  at  Yale  College  is  a  large 
four-story  E-shaped  building,  inclosing  a  central 
court  or  entrance.  The  building,  including  the  court, 
occupies  an  areaabout  180  feet  across  the  front  by  116 
feet  deep.  Its  purpose  is  to  afford  lodging  for  stu- 
dents of  the  college.  Charles  C.  Haight,  of  New  York 
City,  was  the  architect  of  the  building,  and  Wil'iam 
J.  Baldwin,  of  the  samecity,  the  contracting  engineer 
for  the  heating  and  ventilating  plant. 

The  general  plan  of  the  building  is  shown  by  Fig. 
I,  a  plan  of  the  first  floor,  but  in  order  to  present 
more  clearly  the  heating  apparatus  in  the  basement, 
Fig.  2  shows  only  one-half  of  the  building,  the  other 
half  being  identical.  The  building  is  warmed  by  the 
indrect  system,  hot  water  being  the  means  of  con- 
veying the  heat  to  the  indirect  stacks  placed  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  basement.  The  water  is  heated  by 
steam  in  four  ordinary  feed-water  heaters.  The 
steam  is  generated  in  an  adjacent  central  plant,  the 
steam  entering  the  building  by  a  main  pipe  through 
the  wall  of  the  building  to  a  main  stop  valve  on  the 
inside,  and  from  this  stop  valve  it  flows  through  dif- 
ferent pipes  to  the  heaters.  Each  pipe  has  its  corre- 
sponding return  pipe,  and  both  are  so  fitted  with 
valves  that  each  section  may  be  controlled  separately 
and  independently  trom  the  others.  The  heaters  are 
the  Wainwright  water- tube  type,  and  each  is  rated  at 
300  horse-power.  Each  heater  supplies  the  indirect 
stacks  in  its  immediate  vicinityy  this  subdivision  be- 
ing made  to  obviate  the  use  of  long  pipe  lines  and 
the  consequent  chance  of  a  feeble  circulation  in  some 
of  the  further  radiators. 

The  building  contains  19, 136  square  feet  of  indirect 
radiating  surface,  distributed  as  shown  on  the  plans 
There  are  also  about  boo  square  feet  of  direct  radia 
tion  in  the  main  halls  on  the  first  floor.  The  location 
of  the  heating  chambers  is  shown  on  the  general 
plan,  Fig.  2,  and  in  section  by  Figs.  3  and  4.  They 
consist,  as  will  be  seen,  of  brick  chambers  built  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  base  of  the  clusters  ot  vertical 
flues  leading  to  the  different  rooms.  The  air  enters 
the  heating  chamber  from  outdoors  by  means  of  a 
galvanized-iron  duct  connecting  the  chamber  with 
the  nearest  window.  The  duct  contains  a  sliding 
damper  to  cut  off  the  supply  of  air  when  necessary. 

The  indirect  radiators  are  of  the  Gold  pin  drum 
section  type,  10  to  12  inches  deep,  each  section  con- 
taining about  16  square  feet  of  surface.  These  radia- 
tors are  in  clusters  of  four  or  five  in  brick  heating 
chambers  in  the  basement,  each  heating  chamber 
containing  as  many  clusters  as  there  are  vertical 
ducts  leading  from  it  to  the  rooms  above.  Each  clus- 
ter is  separated  from  the  adjoining  ones  by  a  galvan- 
ized-iron partition  suspended  from  the  ceiling.  The 
radiators  are  supported  on  I  beams  resting  at  each 
end  in  the  brick  wall  of  the  heating  chamber.  The 
flow  and  return  pipes  run  lengthwise  in  the  heating 
chamber,  the  former  above  the  radiators  and  the  lat- 
ter below  it,  both  being  connected  to  the  radiators 
by  short  nipples  with  lock  nuts.  The  figures  shown 
on  the  plan.  Fig.  2,  show  how  many  radiators  are 


placed  in  the  cluster  warming  the  air  for  the  adjacent 
duct. 

The  plan  of  the  different  floors  is  almost  the  same 
as  the  first.  Each  suite  in  the  dormitory  contains  a 
sitting-room  and  two  bedrooms.  The  tormer  on  the 
first  floor  contain  about  2,800  cubic  feet,  and  on  the 
floors  above  about  2,400  cubic  feet.  There  is  about  i 
square  foot  of  indirect  radiating  surface  to  every  20 
cubic  feet  of  space  in  the  building.  The  bedrooms  on 
the  first  floor  contain  1,400  cubic  feet  and  on  the 
floors  above  about  1,280  cubic  feet.  For  the  larger 
rooms  the  ducts  leading  to  the  first  floor  are  8x16 
inches  with  8xi  8-inch  registers,  and  those  to  the  floors 


above  8x12  inches  in  area  with  8xis-inch  registers. 
The  smaller  rooms  on  the  first  floor  have  8xi2-inch 
ducts  with  8x15  inch  registers,  and  for  the  upper 
floors  8x8  inches  with  8xi2-inch  registers. 

Each  room  has  two  registers  for  drawing  off  the 
foul  air,  one  at  the  ceiling,  which  can  be  opened  or 
closed  by  the  occupants  of  the  rooms,  and  one  at  the 
floor,  which  is  always  open.  The  two  registers  in 
each  room  are  connected  to  a  common  ventilating 
duct  which  leads  to  a  large  chamber  immediately 
under  the  roof,  which  is  divided  into  four  sections. 
The  foul  air  escapes  from  each  of  these  sections  by  a 
ventilating  shaft  leading  to  the  outer  air.  A  high- 
pressure  steam  coil  is  placed  in  each  shaft  to  stimu- 
late the  draft. 

The  connection  to  each  indirect  radiator  or  cluster 
and  all  branch  mains  has  the  full  area  of  1.4  square 
inches  to  each  100  square  feet  of  radiating  surface, 
the  return  having  the  same  size.  All  of  the  warm 


68 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


air  flues  are  lined  with  No.  26  galvanized  iron,  and 
the  backs  or  side  of  the  lining  towards  the  outside 
walls  of  the  building  are  doubled  with  a  ^-inch  pine 
board  between  the  flue  and  its  back. 

Each  of  the  four  principal  divisions  of  the  heating 
system  is  furnished  with  an  expansion  tank  capable 
of  holding  one-twentieth  of  all  the  water  in  the  sec- 
tion. Each  is  provided  with  an  expansion  and  over- 
flow pipe.  Temperature  gauges  are  placed  on  both 
the  flow  and  return  pipes  near  the  heaters,  so  that 
the  loss  of  heat  between  the  flow  and  return  may  be 
ascertained. 


STEAM-HEATING  PLANT  IN  THE  HILL 
SEMINARY. 

BY  a  recent  donation  of  James  J.  Hill  a  Roman 
Catholic  theological  seminary  has  been  constructed 
in  the  suburbs  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  under  the  designs 
and  specifications  of  Cass  Gilbert,  architect,  of  St. 
Paul,  Minn.  From  some  of  his  drawings,  sketches, 
and  memoranda  we  have  prepared  the  following  ac- 
count of  the  low  pressure  steam-heating  system  that 
was  installed  by  Archambo  &  Morse,  Minneapolis, 
Mr.  H.  P.  Blair,  of  Chicago,  being  the  consulting 
engineer  for  the  heating  work.  The  seminary  build- 
ings, at  present  six  in  number,  are  mostly  five  stories 
in  height,  substantially  built  of  stone  and  brick,  and 
each  covering  on  an  average  about  8, coo  square  feet 
of  ground  area.  The  buildings  are  so  planned  that 
each  room  receives  direct  sunlight.  The  site  is  an 
abrupt  bluff  1 10  feet  above  the  Mississippi  River  and 


32°' 


24°' 


FiG.5 


Vapor  to  top  of  Stack 

C tit  tch  Basin 

Header  for  Dr/ps 


about  1,200  feet  distant  from  it  on  a  wet  clay  soil. 
Stone  and  brick  tunnels  connect  the  buildings  as 
shown  on  the  map,  Fig.  i,  through  which  the  heating 
pipes,  electric  wires,  speaking  tubes,  water,  gas,  and 
sewer  pipes  are  carried.  The  sewer  and  rainwater 
connections  to  the  main  sewer  are  all  separate  from 
the  seepage  drains.  It  was  necessary  to  drain  the 
site,  and  the  soil  is  accordingly  pierced  by  a  complete 
system  of  seepage  drains  through  which  the  spring 
and  surface  water  is  carried  to  a  ravine  leading  to 
the  river,  thus  providing  a  constant  flowing  brook  of 
clear  water,  which  falls  over  the  bluff  to  the  river  in 
a  beautiful  little  cascade,  adding  greatly  to  the 
beauty  of  the  grounds. 

In  the  basement  of  the  gymnasium  building  there 
are  two  horizontal  tubular  boilers,  each  72  inches,  in 
diameter,  18  feet  long,  having  84  tubes,  4  inches  in 
diameter,  18  feet  long,  and  operating  the  entire  heat- 
ing system.  The  system  is  a  low-pressure  apparatus, 
and  principally,  as  far  as  the  individual  buildings  are 
concerned,  with  two-pipe  mains  and  one  pipe  risers, 
with  drip  from  each  riser  to  return  main.  The  whole 
is  so  arranged  as  to  be  under  the  immediate  control 
of  the  engineer  stationed  in  the  engine-room;  this 
being  accomplished  by  having  separate  mains  for 
each  separate  building,  both  supplies  and  returns, 
with  the  valves  in  the  tank-room  readily  accessible 
for  controlling  the  apparatus  in  each  building 
separately.  The  aggregate  radiation  consists  of  five 
coils  and  397  direct  radiators,  containing  in  all  16,750 
square  feet  of  radiating  surface.  Each  radiator  is 
of  the  "Peerless,"  "Perfection,"  "Ideal,"'  or  the 


Pipe 


2  Vs* Suet  ion-  to  Pum, 


?/c>  'Return  from  Gymnasium  - 
iPetum  Reftctory&NDor.-o. 
3"    "      from  Refectory  - 
4".  » 


\\l\\\\ 


To  Dr<fm 
3' Return  from  /la 


6  "Supply  to  South  Dormitory. 
Ctess  Bui/diny. 
Administration  Building. 

'Supply  to  Gymnasium. 
•6"  //  »  N.  Dormitory. 
-5"  »  "Refectory 


STEAM-HEATING    PLANT    IN    THE    HILL    SEMINARY. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


•' National"  iron  vertical  loop  or  tube  pattern,  and 
they  are  connected  on  what  is  known  as  the  "  single- 
pipe  system,"  with  but  one  valve  to  each  radiator. 
Plugged  outlets  are  left  in  the  tops  of  the  risers  in 
the  administration  building  sufficiently  large  to  sup- 
ply radiators  that  may  hereafter  be  placed  in  the 
attic  of  that  building. 

The  sizes  of  the  supplies  and  returns  for  each  sec- 
tion are  as  follows: 


Supply. 

Returns. 

Gvnasium  building  

4-inch. 
6-inch. 
4-inch. 
5-inch 
5-inch. 
6-inch. 

2%  inch. 
4-inch. 
2%-incb. 
3-inch. 
3  -inch. 
4  inch. 

Dormitory  No.  i.  or  south  dorrrltory. 
Classroom  building        ..     

Dormitory  No  2,  or  north  dormitory. 

Additional  provision  is  also  made  for  heating  the 
chapel,  which  is  to  be  built  at  some  future  time. 
Connections  throughout  were  uniformly  designed 
with  i-inch  pipes  to  supply  radiators  of  30  square 
feet  and  under,  i^-inch  pipe  to  supply  radiators  of 
30  to  60  square  feet,  i  j^-inch  pipe  to  supply  radiators 
of  60  to  150  square  feet,  and  2-inch  pipe  to  supply 
radiators  of  150  to  250  square  feet.  The  return  pipes 
are  all  led  to  a  receiving  tank  underneath  the  supply 
header,  and  are  valved  and  dripped  into  a  cesspool 
that  overflows  into  the  main  sewer.  The  contents  of 
the  receiving  tank,  which  is  open  to  the  atmosphere 
above  the  roof,  are  pumped  out  periodically  into  the 
boiler  feed  pipes.  All  heating  pipes,  both  supplies 
and  returns,  are  covered  where  they  run  through  the 
ducts  and  basements  from  header  to  tank,  and  to  the 
risers  and  stacks,  with  H.  W.  Johns  Manufacturing 
Company's  asbestos  covering,  over  which  is  pasted 
No.  6  best  canvas. 

The  radiators  were  disposed  as  follows: 


Name  of  Room. 

Number  of 
Radiators 

Square  Feet 
of  burface. 

'«       r   t 

Dormitory  No.  i 

Dormitory  No.  2  

220 

Class  building..  < 

7  radiators 

Chapel  

5  coils. 
Not  yet  buil1" 

Administration  building  .. 

51  radiators 

2  650 

Total                  ..            -I 

397  radiators. 

5  coils. 

The  contractors  guaranteed :  First,  that  steam 
shall  circulate  freely  through  all  the  pipes  and  radia- 
tors in  the  whole  apparatus,  and  at  the  same  time 
with  one  pound  of  pressure  at  the  low-pressure 
header.  Second,  that  the  apparatus  shall  work 
noiselessly  under  any  pressure  which  becomes  nec- 
essary to  carry.  Third,  \hat  the  apparatus  shall  be 
of  ample  capacity  to  heat  all  the  rooms  with  which  it 
is  connected,  to  the  following  temperature,  when  the 
thermometer  outside  registers  30  degrees  below 
zero,  or  warmer,  with  a  pressure  of  steam  not  ex- 
ceeding-five pounds  at  the  low-pressure  header. 

It  was  required  to  heat  the  different  rooms  as  fol- 
lows :  Halls  and  corridors  to  60°  Fahr.,  living  and 


sleeping  rooms  to  70°  Fahr.,  classrooms  to  70°  Fahr., 
office  room  to  70°  Fahr.,  infirmaries  to  75°  Fahr., 
other  rooms  to  70°  Fahr.  Hot-water  generator  tanks 
for  the  house  service  were  placed  in  the  several 
buildings,  and  heated  by  high- pressure  pipes  carried 
direct  to  them. 

Figure  2  is  a  basement  plan  of  the  south  dormitory 
showing  the  arrangement  of  boilers  and  general 
heating  plant,  and  headers,  receivers,  etc.,  for  the 
system  of  steam  distribution  to  the  group  of  build- 
ings. The  supply  and  return  mains  for  the  different 
riser  lines  serving  the  groups  of  radiators  in  this 
building  are  also  shown  in  full  and  broken  lines 
respectively. 

Figure  3  is  an  enlarged  plan  at  A,  Fig.  2,  showing 
connections  of  distribution  mains  whose  service  to 
the  different  buildings  is  under  the  direct  control  of 
the  engineman.  The  header  B  is  made  with  10  18- 
inch  special  flanged  manifolds  or  tees,  lour  of  which 
are  plugged  to  allow  for  future  connections. 

Figure  4  is  an  isometric  sketch  showing  connec- 
tions of  receiving  tank,  drips,  and  cesspool. 

Figure  5  shows  connections  of  pairs  of  radiators  to 
the  risers  in  classrooms,  dormitories,  etc. 

Figure  6  is  a  cross-section  of  the  trench  in  the 
basjement  of  the  refectory  to  carry  the  mains  from 
the. north  dormitory  to  the  gymnasium.  The  trench 
in  the  south  dormitory  in  which  the  pipes  from  the 
classroom  are  laid,  and  the  trench  in  the  gymnasium 
in  which  the  pipes  leading  from  the  refectory  to  the 
south  dormitory  are  laid,  are  similar  to  this  figure, 
except  that  the  south  dormitory  trench  is  18  inches 
wide  and  16  inches  deep,  and  has  no  cover-plates, 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


71 


and  the  gymnasium  trench  is  18  inches  wide  and  21 
inches  deep.  The  iron  cover  is  made  in  4-foot  sec- 
tions, with  studded  upper  surface  and  countersunk 
iron  lifting  ring. 

Figure  7  is  a  section  of  the  tunnel  at  Z  Z.  Fig.  i. 
Figure  8  is  a  corresponding  section  at  X  X.  Figure 
g  is  a  section  of  the  tunnel  at  Y  Y,  and  the  other 
tunnels  are  similar  to  it  with  slightly  varied  dimen- 
sions. 

In  construction  a  concrete  footing  was  first  laid  in 
the  tunnel  trench,  and  its  upper  surface  was  asphalted 
one-fourth  inch  thick.  Then  the  stone  walls  were 
laid  in  lime  mortar  with  wrought-iron  pipe  bars  B  B, 
2  inches  in  diameter,  built  in  and  fitted  with  cast 
spools  to  carry  the  pipes  and  facilitate  their  expansion 
movements.  The  roof  arches  were  brick,  laid  in 
Louisville  cement,  and  the  outside  and  top  surface 
was  entirely  covered  with  a  ^-inch  coat  of  asphalt 
applied  in  several  coats  so  as  to  securely  prevent  the 
percolation  of  surface  water  through  the  masonry  and 
to  thoroughly  water-proof  it.  The  bottom  of  the  tun- 
nel was  finished  with  a  i^-inch  Portland  cement 


mortar  floor,  pitched  i  in  12  to  the  center  line  trans- 
versely, and  graded  i  in  100  longitudinally  to  trapped 
strainers  discharging  to  the  seepage  drain  pipes. 
The  trenches  were  all  excavated  2  feet  wider  than 
the  tunnel  itself  so  as  to  allow  room  to  asphalt  the 
outside  vertical  walls. 

Figure  10  is  a  view  of  the  tunnel  at  W  W,  Fig.  i, 
showing  the  manner  in  which  the  longitudinal 
movement  of  pipes  about  200  feet  long  is  provided 
for,  each  joint  S  S,  etc.,  being  intended  to  act  as  a 
swivel. 

Figure  1 1  shows  a  somewhat  simpler  connection  at 
the  class  building,  where  the  main  M  drops  from  the 
low-pressure  header,  and  there  was  sufficient  verti- 
cal room  to  permit  the  xo-foot  section  A  to  swing 
like  a  pendulum  by  twisting  on  its  joints  S  S. 

In  the  tunnels  shown  in  Figs.  9,  10,  and  n  there 
is  a  line  of  4-inch  soft-tile  horizontal  seepage  drain 
pipe  laid  outside  the  foot  of  each  vertical  wall,  and 
in  the  section  shown  in  Fig.  7  there  is  one  such  pipe 
at  the  offset  in  the  middle  of  each  wall  and  two  at 
the  foot. 


MainSupplyto  Administration  Building 


Asphalting  '•Concrete 

THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 


STEAM-HEATINO  PLANT  IN   THE   HILL  SEMINARY. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


The  total  cost  of  the  heating  work  was  about 
$17,000  and  of  the  tunnels  about  $4,500.  The  latter 
were  constructed  by  James  Carlisle  &  Sons.  The 
contract  for  the  heating  work  was  awarded  June  7, 
1894,  and  it  was  practically  completed  in  about  four 
months. 


VENTILATION  AND  HEATING  OF  A  SCHOOL 

BUILDING. 

THE  accompanying  drawings  show  the  method  of 
heating  and  ventilating  the  Medalia  High  School, 
from  plans  made  by  the  architect  of  the  building, 
Mr.  Walter  S.  Pardee,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  who, 
beside  laying  out  the  structural  details  of  the  build- 
ing, designed  its  heating  system.  The  school  build- 
ing covers  an  area  80x80  feet  and  is  built  of  Menom- 
inee  pressed  brick,  with  Kasota  stone  trimmings. 


Figure  i  shows  a  plan  of  the  basement,  which  con- 
tains rooms  for  manual  training  and  the  toilet-rooms 
for  the  pupils.  The  boiler-room  is  also  on  the  base- 
ment floor  and  several  feet  below  the  same  to  insure 
good  working  of  the  steam  plant.  The  schoolrooms 
are  all  on  the  first  and  second  floors  of  the  building, 
and  as  these  are  so  much  alike  a  plan  of  but  one  of 
them  is  shown  by  Fig.  2.  This  shows  the  location  of 
the  registers  and  the  cubical  contents  of  each  room, 
etc.  The  cubical  contents  of  each  floor  is  about  the 
same  as  the  one  given. 

The  attic  only  contains  the  system  of  ventilating 
ducts  that  are  shown  in  Fig.  3,  but  is  planned  for 
use  as  a  public  hall  whenever  occasion  requires. 

Turning  to  the  heating  and  ventilating  system  we 
find  that  the  fresh  air  is  taken  in  at  the  top  of  the 
building  through  the  duct  A,  shown  on  the  attic 
plan.  The  cold  air  then  descends  to  the  base- 


BASEMENT  PLAN 
VENTILATION   AND   HEATING   OF   MEDALIA    HIGH    SCHOOL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


73 


ment  through  a  5'3"X3'6"  brick  shaft,  which  con- 
tains a  sheet-iron  flue  from  the  boiler  30  inches 
in  diameter.  The  cold  air  is  slightly  tempered  by 
this  flue  by  the  time  it  reaches  the  basement. 
There  a  sheet-iron  duct  leads  the  air  to  heating 
coils  consisting  of  1,680  square  feet  of  heating  sur- 
face divided  up  among  five  independent  coils,  each 
supplied  with  steam  through  its  own  independent 
connections. 

Beyond  the  coils  is  a  6-foot  fan  driven  at  any 
speed  from  250  to  350  revolutions  per  minute,  as  the 
case  requires,  by  a  15  horse-power  Atlas  engine. 
The  fan  at  350  turns  per  minute  is  capable  of  fur- 
nishing 54,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per  minute.  This 
same  engine  drives  by  a  belt  a  6  foot  exhaust  fan 


located  in  the  attic  runnin  g  at  about  the  same  rate 
of  speed  as  the  supply  fan.  A  number  of  circular 
sheet-iron  ducts  lead  from  the  fan  chamber  both  to  the 
rooms  in  the  basement  and  to  the  classrooms  above. 
To  aid  in  tracing  the  run  of  the  ducts  the  various 
rooms  in  the  basement  have  been  marked  A,,  Blf 
Cj,  etc.,  and  the  corresponding  rooms  on  the  main 
floor  A2,  B2,  Ca,  etc.,  and  those  on  the  next  story 
As.  B3,  Cs.  The  duct  supplying  air  to  these 
rooms  is  then  marked  +AH  +  A2,  etc.,  and  the  ducts 
venting  them  — Ax ,  —  A3,  etc.,  the  plus  sign  indicat- 
ing the  supply  and  the  minus  sign  the  vent.  Tbe 
attic  floor  shows  the  location  of  the  various  vent 
flues,  and  the  circular  ducts  which,  connected  to 
their  upper  ends,  converge  to  an  exhaust  fan  of  the 


SCHOOL       ROOM 

C2 

8280  Cub,  R. 


FIRST  STORY  PLAN 
VENTILATION  AND   HEATING  OF   MEDALIA   HIGH   SCHOOL. 


74 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Same  size  as  the  one  in  the  basement.  When  the 
building  is  in  use  the  air  is  discharged  through  the 
duct  B.  but  when  not  occupied  and  it  is  desired  to 
keep  the  building  warm,  the  switches  D  and  C  are  so 
adjusted  that  the  air,  instead  of  being  discharged 
out-of-doors  through  D  goes  through  the  by-pass  E 
down  the  shaft  to  the  coils  in  the  basement,  and 
thus  maintains  an  internal  circulation.  The  indirect 
coils  are  not  of  course  of  sufficient  capacity  to  warm 
the  building  in  cold  weather,  and  so  some  896  square 
feet  in  direct  radiation  is  provided.  One  return-tub- 
ular boiler,  14  feet  in  length  and  36  inches  in  diame- 
ter, containing  34  3  5^-inch  tubes,  supplies  steam  at 
25  to  30  pounds  pressure  for  the  fan  engines,  and 
when  needed,  steam  at  reduced  pressure  through  a 
reducing  valve  to  the  heating  system,  should  the 
fans  be  not  running,  or  if  the  steam  exhausted  by  the 
fan  engine  should  be  insufficient  to  meet  the  de- 


mands of  the  heating  system.  The  returns  of  the 
direct-heating  system  are  carried  back  to  a  return 
tank  36  inches  in  diameter  and  8  feet  long.  As  the 
indirect  coils  are  sometimes  supplied  with  steam  at 
full  boiler  pressure,  the  condensation  from  them  is 
led  to  a  steam  trap,  which  then  discharges  into  the 
return  tank.  The  steam  and  return  mains  are  in- 
clined i  inch  in  every  25  feet,  so  that  the  condensa- 
tion in  each  instance  will  tend  to  flow  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  steam.  The  base  of  the  risers  has  a  drip 
into  the  return  main.  Jenkins  disk  valves  are  used 
throughout,  and  the  steam  pipes  are  covered  where 
necessary  with  asbestos  covering. 

The  plant  has  been  successfully  operated  during 
the  past  three  seasons,  and  is  economical  in  opera- 
tion and  simple  in  management.  The  contract  for 
installing  the  apparatus  was-  let  to  Tunstead  & 
Moore,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  for  $4,4Qo. 


ATTIC 

VENTILATION   AND   HEATING   OF    MEDALIA   HIGH   SCHOOL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


75 


VENTILATION  AND  WARMING  OF  THE  NEW 
HIGH  SCHOOL,  MONTCLAIR,  N.  J. 

THE  High  School  at  Montclair,  N.  ].,  recently 
completed  from  the  plans  of  Messrs.  Loring  & 
Phipps,  architects,  of  Boston,  contains  many  features 
which  attract  attention  for  their  novelty  as  well  as 
utility.  Its  general  shape  does  not  strike  one 
as  of  the  conventional  type  to  which  the  public  is 
accustomed.  The  long  corridors ;  the  schoolrooms  all 
along  one  side,  with  the  lavatories,  water-closets, 
etc.,  not  only  within  the  buildings  but  upon  the  main 
corridors  on  each  floor,  so  placed  to  avoid  running  up 
and  down  stairs  more  than  is  necessary,  are  features 
which  will  strike  one  as  a  departure  from  the  com- 
mon practice. 

The  building  is  212  feet  long  by  an  average  width 
of  74  feet,  and  2*/z  stories  in  height.  It  is  built  in  the 
Colonial  type  of  architectural  treatment,  of  buff 
bricks  with  terra-cotta  trimmings,  and  cost  complete 
about  $100,000.  The  plans  and  specifications  for  the 


Figure  5  shows  a  section  through  the  fresh-air  inlet, 
heating  chamber,  radiators,  and  fan.  The  radiators 
are  divided  into  five  sections. 

Figure  5  is  a  section  through  the  fresh-air  inlet,  the 
heating  room,  radiators,  fan  and  entrance  to  the  main 
duct.  The  radiators  are  divided  into  five  sections, 
each  controllable  by  a  valve.  The  sections  Nos,  i, 
2,  and  3  are  heated  by  steam  from  the  large  boilers, 
while  No.  4  receives  live  steam  from  the  power  boiler 
and  No.  5  condenses  the  exhaust  steam  from  the  en- 
gine except  when  the  fresh  air  requires  no  heating 
whatever.  Thus  from  the  small  power  boiler  alone 
the  whole  building  may  be  made  comfortable  in  damp 
or  chilly  weather.  When  the  temperature  drops  low 
enough  to  need  it  the  heating  boilers  are  started  up 
and  more  surface  comes  into  use.  The  total  surface 
in  the  heater  is  1,200  square  feet,  an  amount  sufficient 
to  heat  the  entire  building  if  the  blower  system  were 
employed  and  the  air  spaces  through  radiators  were 
decreased. 


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SECTIONS  THROUGH  TnesM 

FIG.8 


ventilating  and  heating  apparatus  were  drawn  by 
Fred.  P.  Smith,  C.  E.,  Boston.  Mass. 

Figures  i,  2,  3,  and  4,  the  plans  of  the  basement 
and  upper  floors  of  the  building,  show  that  the  venti- 
lation is  by  the  plenum  system,  the  air  being  fur- 
nished by  a  fan  of  the  Davidson  propeller  type,  8  feet 
in  diameter,  capable  of  delivering  2, 000,000 cubic  feet 
of  air  per  hour.  It  is  driven  at  a  speed  of  120  revo- 
lutions per  minute  by  a  10  horse-power  Metropolitan 
engine.  The  boiler  for  driving  the  engine  is  of  the 
common  vertical  tubular  pattern  of  20  horse-power. 
This  not  only  runs  the  engine  but  supplies  steam  to 
part  of  the  coils  in  the  heating  chamber  in  the  base- 
ment. There  are  two  other  boilers,  each  of  60  horse- 
power, which  also  supply  steam  for  the  heating  coils. 
'This  primary  coil  or  initial  heater  at  the  fresh-air  in- 
let is  made  up  of  ordinary  cast-iron  sections  of  the 
"  Excelsior  "  indirect  radiators  built  into  stacks  and 
carried  on  heavy  iron  beams.  The  usual  practice  in 
plenum  systems  of  making  the  interstices  between 
the  steam  pipes  in  sections  of  the  heater  small 
enough  to  prevent  the  too  free  passage  of  the  air  has 
been  abandoned  in  the  system  and  quite  the  opposite 
followed.  This  was  done  by  the  use  of  special  nip- 
ples which  allowed  the  surfaces  to  be  placed  i  inch 
further  apart  than  the  usual  practice  requires. 


SECTIONS  TVIROUCH 

FIG.  9 


By  examining  Fig.  i,  the  basement  plan,  the  man- 
ner of  distributing  the  fresh  air  to  the  several  stacks 
of  flues  may  be  seen.  The  main  duct  is  formed  by 
constructing  a  sub-ceiling  over  the  corridor,  in  the 
basement,  24  inches  below  the  ceiling.  The  air  is 
blown  into  this  space,  which  is  lined  with  metal,  and 
carried  to  the  several  branches  shown. 

In  Fig.  2  the  fan  is  at  A,  the  engine  at  B,  the  power 
boiler  at  C,  the  main  heating  boilers  at  D  D.  In  the 
main  duct  F  F  F  are  the  deflecting  valves  H  H  H  for 
regulating  the  flow  of  air  to  the  different  rooms. 
They  thus  have  the  means  of  introducing  about 
2,000,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per  hour  and  the  means  of 
warming  the  air  from  the  temperature  of  outdoors  to 
that  of  120  degrees,  and  the  system  is  always  pro- 
vided with  equalizing  valves  to  distribute  the  flow  of 
air  to  the  different  ducts.  It  frequently  happens,  how- 
ever, that  the  air  for  a  room  in  some  exposed  part  of 
the  building  may  require  further  heating  than  that 
furnished  the  coils  in  the  heating  chamber.  To  do 
this  without  using  the  ordinary  direct  radiators,  the 
method  shown  by  Figs.  6  and  7  was  followed.  Stacks 
of  indirect  radiators  are  placed  in  each  fresh-air  flue 
about  3  feet  above  the  floor.  There  are  openings 
from  the  flue  to  the  room  both  above  and  beneath 
the  radiators.  Valves  are  so  arranged  that  when 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


n 


78 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 

I 


ventilation  is  desired  the  air  may  enter  from  the 
fan,  pass  up  through  the  radiators,  and  enter  near 
the  ceiling  at  any  desired  temperature.  If  the  room 
becomes  too  warm,  or  in  warm  weather,  when  cool 


SECTION  THROUGH  HEATING  ROOM  &  CORRIDOR 
FIG.5, 


rooms  are  unoccupied,  the  dampers  at  S  S  may  be 
so  placed  that  the  air  from  the  fan  is  cut  off  and  then 
the  air  from  the  room  circulates  through  the  radia- 
tors, over  and  over,  in  this  way  heating  an  unoccu- 
pied room  without  wasting  fuel  by  warming  a  large 
amount  of  unnecessary  fresh  air.  The  whole  build- 
ing, if  necessary,  or  any  part  of  it,  can  thus  be 
warmed  without  running  the  fan. 

Figures  8  and  9  bring  out  more  fully  the  uses  of 
the  radiators  within  the  several  fresh-air  flues  and 
also  the  feature  of  reversing  the  inlets  and  outlets  as 
the  weather  conditions  are  changed.  The  idea  fol- 
lowed out  is  that  in  winter  the  fresh  air  enters  warm 
and  flows  to  the  ceiling  so  that  the  outlet  for  the 


air  is  desired,  the  valve  may  be  so  placed  that  the 
air  enters  the  room  beneath  the  radiators  without 
"being  warmed. 

In  Fig.  6,  which  is  a  section  through  a  fresh-air 
flue  to  first  floor  and  a  vent  flue  from  second  floor,  the 
damper  valve  in  the  flue  to  the  left  at  S  S  is  shown  so 
that  air  from  the  fan  is  passing  through  the  radiat- 
ors and  entering,  warm,  near  the  ceiling.  In  the  flue 
to  the  right  the  air  from  the  fan  is  entering,  cool, 
near  the  floor.  For  night,  or  at  any  time  when  the 


SECTION  THROUGH  FLUES- 
FIG.  7 


•  CROS3SECTION- 

FIG.6 


SECTION  THROUGH 
SANITARIES 

FIG.tO 


vitiated  air  should  be  at  the  floor,  but  in  warm 
weather  when  the  fresh  air  enters  cooler  than  the 
room  it  falls  to  the  floor,  so  that  in  order  to  secure 
even  distribution  and  thorough  diffusion  the  summer 
exhaust  should  be  above  the  occupants'  heads. 

The  supply  of  steam  is  under  the  control  of  the 
system  of  the  Metropolitan  Electric  Service  Com- 
pany, of  New  York  City.  This  consists  of  thermo- 
stats which  are  used  by  the  changing  temperature  so 
as  to  open  or  close  an  electric  circuit.  The  electric 
current  operates  electric  air  valves  which  turn  air, 
compressed  to  about  10  pounds  per  square  inch,  into 
or  out  of  diaphragms  placed  on  the  steam  valves. 
Thus  whenever  the  temperature  of  any  room  rises 
or  falls  the  thermostat  automatically  turns  on  or 
shuts  off  the  steam  supply. 

In  Fig.  2  in  the  corridors  are  placed  large  warm- 
air  registers  for  warming  and  drying  the  pupils' 
feet.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  water-closets  are 
placed  just  off  main  corridors  at  either  end  of 
the  building  on  the  first  and  second  floors.  There 
are  26  closets  in  all  ranged  as  shown  by  the  plans. 
These  are  so  placed  that  all  plumbing  and  fixtures 
are  concealed  from  the  pupils  but  accessible  from, 
the  rear  to  janitor  and  plumber.  The  urinals  are  of 
slate  with  thorough  ventilation,  but  are  not  flushed. 

Figure  10  shows  a  section  through  the  urinal  and 
a  closet  with  the  flushing  tank  T.  The  arrows  show 
how  the  air  from  room  is  drawn  towards  and  through 
the  closets  and  urinals  carrying  odors  out  of  the 
building  and  thoroughly  ventilating  the  closet  rooms, 

The  Smith  Heating  and  Ventilating  Company, 
Boston,  Mass.,  was  contractor  for  the  work. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


79 


STEAM-HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  PLANT 

IN  THE  IRVING  SCHOOL,  WEST 

DUBUQUE,  IOWA. 

THE  Irving  School  at  West  Dubuque,  Iowa,  is  a 
modern  two-story  and  basement  brick  edifice  about 
75x90  feet  in  extreme  dimensions  with  six  small  and 
one  large  study  rooms  seating  about  450  pupils,  be- 
sides recitation-rooms,  etc.  F.  Heer  &  Son  are  the 
architects,  E.  P.  Waggoner  the  mechanical  engineer, 
and  W.  S.  Molo  the  local  contractor  who  installed 
the  steam-heating  and  ventilating  apparatus,  which 
was  designed  by  the  engineering  department  of  the 
American  Boiler  Company. 

The  characteristic  features  of  the  plant  are  the 
location  in  the  basement  of  a  steam  boiler,  and  pipes 
and  indirect  radiators  which  deliver  fresh  air  either 
hot  or  tempered,  to  the  classrooms.  These  rooms 
may  be  additionally  warmed  by  direct  radiators 
which  are  also  supplied  in  the  halls  to  temper  in- 
coming air.  Each  room  is  provided  with  two  separ- 
ate independent  ducts,  one  for  delivering  fresh  air 
and  the  other  for  removing  foul  air.  These  ducts 
are  rectangular  vertical  flues,  not  in  the  main  walls, 
but  built  out  like  pilasters  on  the  partition  walls,  and 
communicate  with  the  rooms  served  by  registers, 
those  for  the  fresh  air  being  in  the  upper  and  those 
for  the  foul  air  being  in  the  lower  part  of  the  room. 
The  foul-air  ducts  all  discharge  downward  into  rect- 
angular galvanized-iron  ducts  on  the  basement  ceil- 


ing  which  open  into  the  brick  chimney.  This  is 
about  4  feet  square  inside  and  contains  the  i8-inch 
vertical  smokestack  from  the  boilers,  radiation  from 
this  stack  operating  to  accelerate  the  circulation  of 
foul  air  up  the  chimney.  Foul  air  from  the  main 
halls  is  admitted  directly  to  this  vent  shaft  by  reg- 
isters through  its  sides  in  the  upper  stories  near  the 
floors.  In  the  classrooms  foul  air  is  drawn  in  on  all 
sides  between  the  main  floor  and  that  of  the  teacher's 
platform  and  passes  into  the  vent  duct  through  an 
adjustable  damper.  All  the  air  flues  and  ducts  are 
made  of  No.  24  iron  and  the  steam  pipes  are  graded 
i  inch  in  20  feet,  as  indicated  by  the  arrows.  All  the 
return  branches  have  check  valves  and  there  are  air 
valves  at  all  summits.  Steam  is  supplied  by  a  No. 
164  heavy-duty  double  Florida  heater,  surface  burn- 
ing for  soft  coal,  having  two  36-inch  firepots  and  two 
3  '£-inch  steam  outlets. 

Figure  i  is  a  basement  plan  showing  ducts,  indi- 
rect radiators,  and  steam  plant.  Figure  2  shows 
some  of  the  details  of  construction  of  the  indirect 
radiator  stacks.  Figure  3  shows  the  arrangement  of 
rooms,  etc.,  on  the  first  and  second  floors  and  the 
location  of  registers,  flues,  and  radiators.  All  hot- 
air  registers  are  in  the  wall  8  feet  above  the  floor. 
Figure  4  shows  the  arrangement  of  foul-air  exits 
under  the  classroom  platforms.  The  perforated 
metal  face  plates  extend  completely  around  the 
platform  and  admit  the  foul  air  to  chamber  C,  whence 


BASEMENT  PLAN 

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STEAM-HEATING   AND  VENTILATING  PLANT  IN  THE   IRVING   SCHOOL,    WEST  DUBUQUE,   IOWA. 


it  is  exhausted  through  vent  duct  V.  The  chain  C 
passes  down  through  the  fresh  hot-air  duct  and 
operates  the  mixing  valve  M,  Fig.  2.  It  terminates 
in  a  handle  H,  which  may  be  set  at  different  points 
on  the  regulator  R  and  maintain  a  fixed  proportion 
of  hot  and  cold  air. 


HOT- WATER  HEATING  IN  THE  NEW  POLY- 
TECHNIC INSTITUTE,  BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 

PART  I. — GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  FLOOR  PLAN  AND 
SPECIFICATIONS,  BASEMENT  PLAN,  ELEVATION  OF 
RISERS,  PERSPECTIVE  AND  ELEVATIONS  OF  BOILERS 
AND  CONNECTIONS. 

THIS  building,  erected  for  use  in  connection  with 
the  adjacent  building,  is  of  brick,  about  80x100 
feet  square,  and  has  five  stories  above  the  basement. 
All  the  ceilings  are  very  high,  that  in  the  upper 
story  being  pointed,  with  its  apex  40  feet  above  its 
floor  and  about  120  feet  above  the  basement  floor. 

W.  B.  Tubby,  of  New  York,  is  the  architect,  and 
G.  C.  Blackmore,  of  New  York,  is  the  contractor  for 
the  heating.  Four  of  the  Richardson  &  Boynton 
Company's  largest  size  "Perfect"  hot-water  boil- 
ers are  used,  the  plans  for  the  work  having  been 
made  by  their  engineer,  W.  M.  Mackay,  who  also 
superintended  the  erection  of  the  work.  The  boilers 
used  were  made  especially  for  this  building.  Each 
contains  315  square  feet  of  fire  surface,  has  9^ 


square  feet  of  grate  area,  and  a  1 2-inch  smoke  con- 
nection. 

For  the  information  ot  those  who  are  interested  in 
the  proportioning  of  radiating  surface  for  this  build- 
ing, we  give  here  the  cubical  contents  and  the 
amounts  of  radiating  surface  placed  upon  the  several 
floors,  the  surface  being  larger  than  if  the  system 
were  direct  radiation,  on  account  of  the  cold  air 
taken  into  the  building.  The  basement  contains 
136,925  cubic  feet  of  air  space,  and  is  heated  by  the 
mains;  the  first  floor  contains  175,286  cubic  feet  of 
air  space,  and  has  3,187  cubic  feet  of  radiating  sur- 
face; the  second  floor  contains  96,406  cubic  feet  of 
air  space,  and  has  2,085  cubic  feet  of  radiating  sur- 
face; the  third  floor  contains  119,308  cubic  feet  of  air 
space,  and  has  2,270  cubic  feet  of  radiating  surface; 
the  fourth  floor  contains  98,480  cubic  feet  of  air 
space,  and  has  2, 114  cubic  feet  of  radiating  surface; 
the  fifth  floor  contains  223,300  cubic  feet  of  air  space, 
and  has  2,675  cubic  feet  of' radiating  surface;  total 
cubic  contents,  849,735  cubic  feet;  total  radiating 
surface,  12,331  square  feet,  exclusive  of  mains. 

The  low  pressure  direct -indirect  system  is  em- 
ployed, and  there  are  throughout  the  building  vertical 
tube  hot-water  radiators  of  the  Detroit  ornamental 
pattern.  These  radiators  are  placed  under  windows, 
and  provided  with  fresh-air  inlets  arranged  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  air  will  pass  between  the  tubes  of 
radiators  just  above  the  base.  Each  fresh-air  inlet 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


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HOT-WATER    HEATING    IN    THE    BROOKLYN    POLYTECHNIC    INSTITUTE. 


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STEAM  AKD  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


has  an  8xis-inch  black  japanned  register  face,  with 
reverse  beveled  frame  on  the  outside  of  the  wall.  In 
the  front  wall  registers  are  placed  directly  under 
windows,  and  have  a  galvanized-iron  pipe  connection 
to  a  damper  placed  on  the  inside  of  the  wall,  which 
is  operated  by  a  rod  and  adjustable  handle  to  gradu- 
ate the  supply  of  air. 

All  branch  connections  from  risers  to  radiators  are 
made  under  floors  where  practicable,  each  set  of 
risers  having  valves  at  the  bottom  and  draw-off 
cocks,  so  that  they  can  be  shut  off  and  the  water 
drawn  out  without  interfering  with  the  rest  of  the 
apparatus.  The  risers  are  run  in  the  ventilating 
flues  to  insure  a  positive  circulation  of  air  at  all  times. 

The  ventilating  registers  are  of  white  japanned 
finish  and  are  securely  fastened  to  cast-iron,  reversed 
beveled  frames,  built  into  brick  walls.  The  upper 
registers  are  fitted  with  cords  and  indicating  handles 
to  open  and  close. 

In  the  fifth  floor  there  is  an  expansion  tank  with 
plumbing  connection,  feed-cock,  self-closing  cock 
and  funnel,  gauge  glass  and  overflow  pipe.  The 
bottom  opening  of  the  tank  is  connected  to  return 
opening  of  heaters,  with  i-inch  branches,  from  a  i  %- 
inch  main  expansion  pipe.  Each  branch  has  a  keyed 
valve  at  the  heater. 

Where  pipes  pass  through  walls,  floors,  or  ceilings, 
the  openings  are  covered  with  cast-iron  floor  and 
ceiling  plates,  properly  secured  in  place,  and  are  pro- 
tected with  tin  tubes  according  to  the  rules  of  New 
York  Board  of  Fire  Underwriters. 

Figure  i  is  a  plan  of  the  basement,  and  shows  the 
flow  mains  in  full  heavy  lines;  the  return  mains  by 
broken  lines,  and  the  risers  by  black  circles.  In  the 
toilet-room  the  flow  pipe  A  has  its  length  increased 
so  as  to  serve  as  an  overhead  radiator,  and  obviate 
the  necessity  for  one  on  the  floor,  which  could  not  be 
set  there  without  too  much  obstructing  the  limited 
area.  An  ordinary  radiator  on  the  floor  above,  at  B, 
gives  a  circulation  head  for  the  pipe  A. 

The  gymnasium  ceiling  is  about  15  feet  high,  and 
the  room  about  80x100  feet  square.  It  is  warmed  by 
radiation  from  the  mains  C  C,  etc.,  which,  for  this 
purpose,  are  made  of  a  larger  diameter  than  the 
radiator  system  alone  requires.  These  mains  are 


laid  on  rollers  in  a  brick-lined  trench  and 
by  iron  gratings. 

Figure  2  is  a  diagram  of  some  of  the 
The  rest  are  similar  to  them.  Figure  3 
the  first  floor,  showing  arrangement  of 
location  of  radiators. 


83 
.* 

are  covered 

riser  lines. 

is  a  plan  of 

rooms  and 


2- 


^ 


2- 


2- 


^= 


2- 

M?. 


2- 


2- 


3^  _ 


3- 


\ 
I 


HOT-WATER   HEATING   IN   THE  BROOKLYN   POLYTECHNIC   INSTITUTE. 


84. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


The  other  floor  plans  are  similar.  All  the  upper 
floors  are  warmed  entirely  by  direct- indirect  radia- 
tors. The  top  story  has  excessive  exposure  through 
very  large  skylights  in  the  sloping  ceilings. 

Figures  4,  5,  and  6  show  the  arrangement  of 
heaters,  which  are  set  in  a  pit  below  the  basement 
floor.  Figure  4  is  a  section  and  perspective,  Fig.  5 
is  a  plan,  and  Fig.  6  is  a  cross-section.  B  is  the 
8-inch  flow  and  C  the  8-inch  return  main;  A  is  the 
i^-inch  expansion  pipe  connected  separately  to  each 
boiler,  D  D,  etc.,  are  risers  connected  to  the  mains 
by  special  angle  valves  E  E,  etc.,  and  flange  joints, 
and  with  cocks  F  for  emptying  the  lines  when  the 
valves  are  closed. 

PART  II. — DETAILS,  FLOW  AND  RETURN  MAINS  AND  RISER 
CONNECTIONS,  VENTILATION  DUCTS  AND  REGISTERS, 
EXPANSION  TANK,  COLD-AIR  INLETS  AND  CONDUITS 
AND  INDIRECT  RADIATORS. 

FIGURE  7  shows  the  section  of  the  pipe  trench  in 
the  gymnasium  and  riser  connections  at  E,  Fig,  i. 
Figure  8  shows  the  termination  of  mains  at  F,  Fig.  i. 

Figure  9  is  a  sectional  diagram  of  the  building, 
showing,  on  an  exaggerated  scale,  the  vent  flues 
K  K,  which,  maintaining  a  vertical  face  inside,  fol- 
low the  offsets  of  the  wall  and  increase  in  size  up- 
wards proportionately  with  the  increased  duties  of 
the  upper  parts.  They  discharge  into  the  chamber  L 
and  thence  above  the  roof  through  the  ventilating 
stacks  M,  which  are  5  feet  in  diameter  and  about  2 
feet  high  above  the  ridge. 

Figure  10  shows  the  arrangement  of  radiators  R  R, 
etc.,  between  shafts  S  S,  so  that  each  of  the  riser 
connections  is  made  to  the  nearest  line.  Figure  n 
shows  the  general  arrangement  of  fresh-air  inlets  in 
the  outside  walls.  Figure  12  shows  another  ar- 
rangement where  the  wall  hole  is  opposite  the  bottom 
of  the  register  and  a  galvanized-iron  diaphragm  A, 
with  40  square  inches  area,  is  put  perpendicularly 
in  the  center  of  galvanized-iron  flue,  to  prevent 
undue  blasts  of  cold  air,  while  allowing  full  passage- 
way area  in  the  annular  space  of  80  square  inches 
around  the  obstruction. 

In  both  figures  the  inside  dampers  H  are  operated 
by  rods  B  and  handles  D,  which  can  be  secured  by 
set  screws  C;  E  E  are  ordinary  scrolled  register 
frames  protecting  the  wall  openings. 

Figure  13  shows  the  arrangement  of  the  two  in- 
direct radiators  for  the  library,  Fig.  i.  E  is  same  as 
in  Figs,  ii  and  12.  K  is  a  gavamzed  air  duct,  partly 
built  in  the  wall;  G  is  a  Perfection  pin  radiator,  12 
inches  high,  with  air  chambers  F  F,  above  and  below 
it. 

Hot  air  is  delivered  to  the  library  through  two 
registers  E  E  (only  one  being  shown  here),  and  the 
cold-air  damper  H  is  controlled  by  the  rod  B. 
Another  damper,  I,  has  been  suggested,  to  be  so  at- 
tached to  B  as  to  open  when  H  is  closed,  and  vice 
versa,  thus  permitting,  cold  or  tempered  air  to  be 
used;  but  this  damper  has  not  yet  been  adopted. 

It  was  originally  intended  to  warm  the  library  by 
radiators  set  at  R,  as  in  Fig.  12,  but  as  it  was  after- 
wards determined  to  preserve  the  floor  unobstructed 
by  radiators,  the  inlet  E  was  retained,  and  the  fresh 


air  conducted  through  special  duct  K  to  the  cham- 
ber F. 

Figure  14  shows  the  arrangement,  in  pairs,  of  all 
ventilation  registers  I  and  J,  Fig.  9,  which  are  so 
connected  by  a  rod  B  that  when  either  one  is  open 
the  other  must  be  closed,  and  vice  -versa. 

The  figure  shows  both  partly  open,  so  that  moving 
rod  B  down  by  means  of  its  handle  C  will  set  1  wide 
open  and  J  tightly  closed.  Moving  B  up  will  open  J 
and  close  I.  Both  registers  cannot  be  closed  at  once, 
but  will  always  jointly  maintain  a  uniform  inlet 
opening  equal  to  the  full  area  of  one  of  them.  K  is 
the  ventilation  duct,  and  D  the  2^-mch  hot-water 
riser,  shown  in  Figs.  1,2,  and  9,  the  ventilation  circu- 
lation being  natural,  except  as  promoted  by  radiation 
from  pipes  D. 

Figure  15  shows  the  82-gallon  riveted  galvanized 
steel  expansion  tank,  placed  just  beneath  the  roof. 
A  is  the  water  glass;  B  the  i  ^-inch  overflow  empty- 
ing into  the  house  storage  tank;  C  is  the  i-inch  sup- 
ply from  city  pressure;  D  is  a  i^-inch  circulation 
pipe  to  prevent  danger  of  freezing,  and  E  is  the  i  fa 
inch  expansion  pipe  that  is  separately  connected 
with  each  of  the  heaters.  H  is  a  vacuum  valve  to 
prevent  syphoning. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  THE  JEF- 
FERSON SCHOOL,  DULUTH,  MINN. 

PART  I.  — GENERAL    DESCRIPTION,    FLOOR    PLANS,    STEAM 
PLANT,  AND   PIPING. 

THE  accompanying  drawings  show  the  means  em- 
ployed in  the  heating  and  ventilating  of  the  Jefferson 
School  building,  of  Duluth,  Minn.  Messrs.  McMillen 
&  Radcliffe,  of  Duluth,  were  the  architects  of  the 
building,  while  the  heating  and  ventilating  appar- 
atus was  put  in  according  to  the  plans  and  specifica- 
tions of  Edgar  G.  Barrett,  C.  E.,  Chicago.  111.  The 
Pond  &  Hasey  Company,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
were  the  contractors  for  the  work. 

The  building  is  about  175  feet  in  length  by  100  feet 
wide,  and  contains  a  basement,  first,  second,  and 
attic  floors.  Plans  of  each  of  these  are  shown,  with 
the  exception  of  the  second  floor,  which  is  very  much 
like  the  first-floor  plan.  As  this  building  extends 
lengthwise  down  a  hill,  four  rooms  are  used  as 
schoolrooms  in  what  is  really  the  basement,  but  they 
are  about  4  feet  above  the  ground,  while  at  the 
opposite  end  of  the  building  the  first  story  is  only  a 
few  feet  above  the  ground,  there  being  a  very  pro- 
nounced difference  in  level  between  one  end  ot  the 
building  and  the  other. 

The  building  is  heated  both  by  direct  and  indirect 
radiation,  the  air  being  circulated  by  mechanical 
means.  The  fresh  air  is  drawn  down  the  air  shaft  at 
the  side  of  the  building  and  warmed  by  tempering 
radiators  in  the  fresh-air  chamber  to  a  temperature 
not  exceeding  70  degrees.  It  is  then  forced  by  a  7- 
foot  Blackman  propeller  fan  through  warm- air  ducts 
extending  to  the  various  vertical  flues,  at  the  base  of 
which  are  located  additional  indirect  heating  coils. 
The  speed  of  the  fans  is  such  as  to  give  2,000  cubic 
feet  of  air  per  hour  to  each  pupil,  figuring  60  pup;ls 
to  each  classroom. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


In  these  coil  boxes  the  air  is  forced  either  through 
the  steam  coil  or  around  it,  as  desired  by  the  occu- 
pants of  the  rooms  above,  and  is  then  forced  through 
the  vertical  flues  to  the  rooms  to  which  they  lead,  the 
air  being  admitted  near  the  ceiling.  After  circulat- 
ing through  the  room,  the  air  is  drawn  out  through 
a  register  located  at  or  near  the  floor  up  through 
flues  to  a  separate  system  of  ducts  in  the  attic  into 
an  exhaust  chamber  at  the  center  of  the  building,  in 
which  is  located  a  7-foot  Blackman  exhaust  fan  dis- 
charging the  foul  air  out  through  the  roof. 


The  heating  is  so  arranged  and  proportioned  that 
in  mild  weather  when  very  little  heat  is  required, 
only  the  tempering  coil  for  warming  the  air  is  used. 
Then  as  it  becomes  colder  the  indirect  radiators  at 
the  base  of  the  flues  are  put  into  service,  raising  the 
temperature  of  the  air  to  a  higher  degree.  In  ex- 
treme cold  weather  direct  radiation  in  the  building 
is  turned  on,  so  that  for  the  few  days  of  extreme 
temperature,  say  20  to  30  degrees  below  zero,  the  en- 
tire heating  apparatus  is  in  use,  but  under  ordinary 
circumstances  only  the  indirect  system  is  necessary. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Steam  for  the  entire  plant  is  generated  in  two  Bab- 
cock  &  Wilcox  boilers  of  a  total  of  130  horse-power. 
Owing  to  the  construction  of  the  building  the  over- 
head system  of  piping  is  used.  A  7-inch  main  pipe 
from  the  boiler-house  (not  shown)  is  carried  through 
the  wall  of  the  school  building  and  led  up  to  the 
attic,  where  it  branches  into  two  main  supply  pipes, 
making  a  circuit  of  the  building  as  shown  on  the 
attic  plan.  The  farther  ends  of  these  pipes  are 
carried  down  to  the  basement,  where  they  connect 
below  the  water  line  and  thence  extend  back  to  the 
receiving  tank. 

The  7-inch  riser  is  supported  at  the  base  by  a  yoke 
supported  by  a  piece  of  4-inch  pipe,  the  lower  end  of 
which  rests  upon  a  stone  foundation.  The  steam 
mains  for  the  indirect  radiation  and  the  tempering 
.coils  are  hung  from  the  basement  ceiling,  and  are 
extended  as  shown  in  the  basement  plan.  The 
returns  from  the  former  are  carried  below  the  base- 
ment floor  and  are  finally  collected  at  the  receiving 
tank.  As  the  tempering  coils  will  be  run  at  a  press- 
ure different  from  the  other  heating  systems,  the 
return  from  these  coils  is  connected  into  a  float  and 
lever  trap,  discharging  into  the  receiving  tank.  The 
tempering  coil  in  the  heating  chamber  contains  10 
radiators  of  about  125  square  feet  of  surface  each, 
the  details  of  which  will  be  described  in  the  follow- 
ing part. 

PART  II. — DETAILS  OF  STEAM    AND  EXHAUST    PIPING  AND 
RADIATORS. 

THE  steam  drums  of  the  two  boilers  are  connected 
by  a  i  yz -inch  pipe  and  the  mud  drums  by  a  2-inch 
equalizing  pipe,  but  both  pipes  are  provided  with  a 
valve  so  that  each  boiler  may  be  made  independent 
of  the  other. 

The  6-inch  supply  pipe,  shown  in  Fig.  i,  from 
each  boiler  runs  into  an  8-inch  steam  header,  from 
which  various  branches  lead  to  the  different  heating 
systems,  engine,  etc.  One  of  these  branches  starts 
as  a  5-ir.ch  from  the  header  and  is  provided  with  a 
stop  valve  and  pressure-reducing  valve,  and  then  in- 
creased to  a  7-inch  pipe,  from  which  the  7-inch  and 
5-inch  branches  are  taken  for  the  direct  and  indirect 
radiation  respectively.  A  second  branch  pipe,  3 
inches  in  size,  also  provided  with  stop  valve  and 
pressure-reducing  valve,  increasing  at  the  reducing 
valve  to  4  inches,  supplies  the  tempering  coils  with 
steam.  A  third  branch  2'^  inches  in  size  supplies 
the  engine.  The  exhaust  from  the  engine  is  carried 
tip  the  shaft  surrounding  the  smoke  pipe  from  the 
boiler.  A  zl/2 -inch  connection  was  made  between 
the  exhaust  pipe  and  the  tempering  coils  so  that 
they  could  be  heated  by  exhaust  steam.  The  ex- 
haust pipe  contains  a  Davis  back-pressure  valve  and 
the  2% -inch  pipe  a  grease  extractor.  All  of  the  en- 
gine drips,  blow-off  connections  from  the  boiler;  and 
grease  extractor  are  carried  to  a  catch-basin  in  the 
boiler-room.  This  is  24  inches  in  diameter  and  48 
inches  deep  and  is  connected  to  the  sewer.  A  2-inch 
vapor  pipe  is  led  to  the  main  exhaust  pipe.  The 
return  water  from  the  heating  system  is  discharged 
into  a  No.  3  Worthington  automatic  feed  pump  and 
receiver. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


87 


The  tempering  radiators  are  10  in  number,  each 
containing  125  square  feet  of  heating  surface.  They 
are  made  of  i^-inch  pipes  screwed  into  heavy  cast- 
iron  bases,  tapped  for  steam  supply  and  return  at 
opposite  ends.  The  pipes  are  set  staggered  in  the 
bases.  The  radiators  are  connected  into  two  bat- 
teries of  two  radiators  each  and  two  batteries  of 
three  radiators  each.  Each  battery  is  provided  with 
a  valve  on  the  flow  and  return  pipes  so  that  any  com- 
bination can  be  used  as  desired.  Thet  indirect  radi- 
ators consist  of  i-inch  pipes  screwed  into  a  cast-iron 
base.  The  indirect  radiators  are  supported  by  iron 
hangers  from  the  ceiling  joists. 

There  are  eight  large  indirect  coils  in  the  base- 
ment, four  of  them  containing  240  square  feet  and 
four  of  them  360  square  feet  of  heating  surf  ace  each. 
There  are  three  smaller  coil  boxes,  each  containing 
72  square  feet  of  surface.  There  is  a  by-pass  around 
each  indirect  stack,  controlled  by  a  switch  operated 
from  the  classroom  to  which  the  duct  leads,  so  that 


the  temperature  of  the  air  can  be  regulated  without 
diminishing  the  supply.  They  are  so  constructed 
that  the  entire  volume  of  air  can  be  heated  or  not, 
as  desired. 

Figure  3  shows  a  sectional  view  of  one  of  the  ducts 
with  the  indirect  stacks  and  the  switch.  Figures  4 
and  5  are  elevations  showing  the  location  of  the  sup- 
ply and  exhaust  fans,  fan  engine,  etc.  It  will  be  no- 
ticed that  the  exhaust  fan  in  the  roof  lies  in  a  hori- 
zontal plane  and  is  driven  by  means  of  rope  trans- 
mission by  the  engine  in  the  basement. 

The  bottom  of  each  radiator  box  is  put  on  with 
stove  bolts  so  that  it  can  be  removed  when  necessary 
without  destroying  the  rest  of  the  casing.  The  bottom 
is  also  provided  with  a  hinged  door  so  that  the 
radiators  may  be  easily  reached  from  below. 

The  entire  cost  of  the  heating  plant  was  $8,800. 
We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  E.  G.  Barrett,  the  designer 
of  the  plant,  for  the  data  and  drawings  from  which 
this  description  was  made. 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF   THE   JEFFERSON    SCHOOL,    DULUTH,    MINN. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  A  MILWAU- 
KEE SCHOOL. 

ST.  MARY'S  School,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  is  a  four-story 
brick  building  about  100x64  feet,  which  was  recently 
completed  according  to  the  plans  and  specifications 
of  T.  Schultz,  architect.  The  building  is  equipped 
with  a  direct  and  indirect  system  of  hot-water  heat- 
ing and  accelerated  ventilation  of  foul  air,  that  was 
installed  by  Cordes  &  Treis,  of  Milwaukee,  at  a  con- 
tract price  of  about  $6,000.  The  conditions  were 
those  of  a  large  graded  school,  with  classrooms, 
lunch-rooms,  and  a  large  auditorium  hall  to  be 
warmed  and  ventilated  during  the  severest  winter 
weather  in  a  climate  where  an  external  temperature 
of  — 20°  Fahr.  or  less  and  sharp  lake  winds  are  to  be 
anticipated.  It  was  required  to  maintain  the  class- 
rooms at  70  degrees  in  the  most  severe  weather,  and 
to  keep  the  hall  at  68  degrees  and  the  corridors  at  65 
degrees,  besides  providing  for  the  continual  with- 
drawal of  foul  air.  The  natural  and  unavoidable 
inflow  through  opening  doors  and  windows,  and  the 
pressure  through  all  cracks  and  openings  to  restore 
equilibrium  was  relied  upon  to  supply  sufficient  fresh 
air  continually. 

All  the  rooms  were  heated  by  wall  coils  or  cast- 
iron  radiators,  and  the  principal  ones  above  the 
basement  had  also  a  supply  of  fresh -tempered  air 
delivered  through  floor  radiators  from  wall  ducts 
centrally  located  to  connect  with  indirect  stacks  that 
draw  air  from  the  wide  basement  corridor.  Other 
wall  ducts  had  ventilating  registers  near  the  ceil- 
ings of  the  rooms,  and  through  them  the  foul  air  is 
drawn  through  a  system  of  galvanized  iron  conduits 
in  the  attic  to  a  shaft  discharging  above  the  roof. 
This  contains  a  hot-water  radiator  coil  intended  to 
heat  the  air  sufficiently  to  produce  a  positive  circula- 
tion. Four  No.  22  Bolton  heaters  were  set  in  the 
basement  and  connected  by  two  pipes  each  with  the 
flow  main.  The  two  principal  branches  were  taken 
out  of  each  end  of  the  8-inch  header  by  angle  gate 
valves  and  carried  directly  to  5-inch  risers  that  each 
ran  around  one  side  wall  and  part  of  two  end  walls 
just  above  the  attic  floor,  diminishing  to  a  final  size 
of  2  Y2  inches  as  drop  pipes  were  successively  taken 
off  to  supply  the  radiators  below.  The  lower  ends 
of  these  drop  pipes  were  similarly  connected  to  belt 
pipes  parallel  with  each  main  wall  of  the  building. 
These  were  laid  under  the  basement  floor  and  in- 
creased in  size  as  they  gathered  successive  branches. 
They  entered  the  ends  of  the  8-inch  return  header 
through  s-inch  angle  valves.  Each  drop  pipe  was 
commanded  by  top  and  bottom  valves  (not  here 
shown),  near  the  supply  and  return  mains  so  that  it 
could  be  cut  off  without  interfering  with  the  rest  of 
the  system,  and  all  of  the  boiler  connections  to  the 
headers  were  valved  so  as  to  be  independently  oper- 
ated and  used  separately  or  together  as  required, 
thus  enabling  one  or  more  to  be  thrown  out  of  service 
in  moderate  weather.  There  is  a  special  4-inch  sup- 
ply and  return  run  to  the  eight  indirect  stacks  on 
the  basement  ceiling,  and  the  boiler-room  floor  is 
sunk  to  such  a  level  as  to  bring  the  return  pipes 
below  the  basement  floor.  Each  boiler  has  a  valved 


connection  to  a  i^-inch  supply  of  city  pressure 
water,  that  is  also  valved  directly  into  the  return 
header.  The  return  header  and  the  return  pipe  from 
the  indirect  system  are  both  connected  to  the  40- 
gallon  expansion  tank  in  the  attic  vent  shaft,  and 
there  is  also  a  vent  pipe  from  the  return  header  to 
an  open  pipe  above  the  roof.  The  boilers  have  ther- 
mometer, pressure  gauge,  and  key  valve  for  empty- 
ing into  the  sewer.  The  indirect  radiators  are  of 
the  ' '  Perfection  ''  pin  type  cased  in  galvanized. iron 


RS.3L  SECOND  FLOOR  PLAN 


boxes.  The  direct  radiators  are  either  coils  of 
straight  and  right-angled  pipes  on  the  walls  with 
special  cast  headers,  or  are  cast  radiators.  All 
radiators  are  provided  with  one  valve  (not  shown  in 
the  general  plan)  on  the  flow  pipe. 

Figure  i  is  a  general  plan  of  the  basement  show- 
ing the  position  of  the  flow  main  and  risers,  drop 
pipes  from  lines  of  radiators,  and  location  of  the  re- 
turn mains,  besides  the  special  service  for  the  indirect 
system  and  the  arrangement  of  boilers,  and  the  wall 
coils  for  basement  rooms. 

Figures  2,  3,  and  4  show  the  location  of  risers, 
registers,  and  hot-air  and  ventilation  flues  and 
arrangement  of  radiators  for  the  first,  second,  and 
third  floors  respectively.  The  dotted  lines  at  A  A, 
Fig.  4,  show  where  the  ventilation  ducts  are  carried 
under  the  floor  in  the  auditorium  hall  from  the  inlet 
registers  to  the  vertical  ducts  that  are  run  up  along 
the  partitions  to  the  collecting  ducts  above. 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


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Fie.  4.  THIRD  FLOOR  PLAN  Fi6.5.  ATTIC  FLOOR  PLAN 

HEATING   AND  VENTILATING   A    MILWAUKEE   SCHOOL. 


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THE  ENGINEERING    RECORD'S 


Figure  5  is  a  floor  plan  of  the  attic  showing  the 
run  of  the  feed  pipes,  the  drop  pipes  supplying  radi- 
ators, and  the  main  risers  at  B  from  the  supply 
header.  All  the  pipes  are  graded  to  summits  C  C, 
whence  vent  pipes  extend  to  free  inverted  openings 
above  the  roof  and  have  small  return  branches  to 
the  boiler  to  secure  constant  circulation,  as  shown  in 

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Fig.  6.  The  coil  in  the  ventilating  shaft  consists  of 
six  circuits  (about  loo  feet)  of  iy^-inch  pipe  that  is 
connected  top  and  bottom  with  the  expansion  tank 
which  has  an  open  vent  and  overflow  above  the  roof. 
The  horizontal  rectangular  galvanized-iron  ventila- 
tion ducts  are  made  with  locked  and  riveted  joints, 
shown  by  the  broken  lines,  rest  directly  on  the  floor 

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FIG.  I.  BASEMENT    PLAN 

HEATING  AND   VENTILATING   A   MILWAUKEE  SCHOOL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


and  serve  the  vertical  metal  flues  that  extend  to  the 
lower-story  registers,  and  are  indicated  here  in  full- 
line  rectangles.  The  cross  sectional  area  of  the 
vertical  galvanized-iron  outlet  stack  is  equal  to  the 
sum  of  the  sections  of  its  branches,  and  it  terminates 
in  an  overhanging  umbrella  head  4  feet  above  the 
roof,  and  elevated  a  foot  above  the  stack  so  as  to 


allow  free  egress  on  all  sides  for  the  foul  air.  It  was 
intended  to  promote  the  discharge  of  this  air  by  an 
electiically-driven  exhaust  fan,  but  it  has  not  yet 
been  considered  necessary  to  provide  this. 

Figure  7  is  a  set  of  elevations  showing  the  arrange- 
ment and  principal  features  of- the  connections  of  the 
battery  of  boilers  shown  in  plan  in  Fig.  i.  F  is  a 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 


FIG.  2.  FIRST  FLOOR  PLAN 

HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  A  MILWAUKEE  SCHOOL. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


highest  point . 


ipes- 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD, 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATING   A   MILWAUKEE   SCHOOL. 


circulation  pipe  connected  with  a  j^-inch  branch  at 
each  of  the  two  vent  pipes,  one  of  which  is  shown  in 
Fig.  6. 

Figure  8  shows  the  method  of  connection  of  cast 
and  coil  radiators  to  the  drop  pipes  that  serve 
them. 

Figure  9  shows  the  special  wall  coils  in  the  base- 
ment classrooms.  The  headers  are  simply  cast-iron 
boxes  tapped  to  receive  the  pipes,  and  in  this  case 
the  drop  pipe  is  shown  in  an  out-ot-the-way  corner 
of  a  wall  offset  just  beyond  the  loop  end  of  a  similar 
adjacent  wall  coil. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  IN  THE  ENGI- 
NEERING BUILDING  OF  THE  MASSA- 
CHUSETTS INSTITUTE  OF 
TECHNOLOGY. 

THE  system  of  heating  and  ventilating  in  the  en- 
gineering building  of  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology,  at  Boston,  was  designed  by  Prof.  S.  H. 
Woodbridge,  and  to  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  fol- 
lowing particulars  and  annexed  illustrations  relating 
to  it. 

The  building  is  without  interior  walls  other  than 
light  partitions,  and  all  available  external  wall  space 
is  demanded  for  piers  and  windows.  Locations  were 
allowed  for  eight  vertical  flues,  varying  from  9  to  12 
square  feet  in  cross-section,  for  the  supply  and  dis- 
charge ventilation  of  the  30  and  more  rooms.  The 
rooms  were  arranged  by  their  intended  users,  with 
only  partial  reference  to  the  fixed  location  of  flues 
and  connecting  air  ducts  were  disapproved  as  un- 
sightly. The  great  value  of  the  basement  floor  space 
imposed  a  limit  ot  10x12  feet  on  the  area  to  be  sur- 
rendered to  ventilating  purposes.  The  use  of  the 
concrete  floor  of  the  sub-basement  for  apparatus, 
above  and  about  which  the  basement  floor  is  re- 
moved, precluded  the  use  of  this  space  as  a  distrib- 
uting air  chamber,  and  compelled  the  building  of  a 
continuous  duct  about  the  perimeter  of  the  sub-base- 
ment, Fig,  i,  with  one  cross-duct  beneath  the  fan  at 
A  A,  and  into  which  it  discharges.  The  main  duct, 
except  where  engine  beds  B  encroach  upon  it,  is  15 
square  feet  in  cross  section.  The  cross-duct  has 
nearly  twice  that  area.  The  control  of  the  air  quan- 
tities to  be  moved  in  one  direction  or  another  within 


these  ducts  is  effected  by  movable  deflectors,  one 
under  the  fan,  and  one  at  each  end  of  the  cross-duct. 

The  perimeter  ducts  have  for  three  of  their  sides 
the  foundation  wall  of  the  building,  the  sub-base- 
ment concrete  floor,  and  the  wooden  floor  of  the  base- 
ment. The  fourth  s^de  is  of  galvanized  iron,  secured 
by  nailing  to  wooden  strips  set  in  the  concrete  and 
nailed  to  the  wooden  floor  and  beams.  A  free  use  of 
elastic  cement  was  made  in  all  joints  between  metal 
and  wood,  and  of  paint  in  all  locked  or  other  joints 
of  the  sheet  metal,  and  provision  made  for  a  possible 
settling  away  of  the  concrete  from  the  wooden  floor. 

To  clear  the  laboratory  ceiling  and  the  floor  space 
of  all  possible  obstructions  and  the  unsightly  appear- 
ance of  piping,  the  steam  mains  and  branches,  traps, 
etc.,  are  placed  within  the  air  conduits.  All  such 
steam  pipes  are  carefully  pitched  and  drained  and 
covered. 

In  the  plan  of  the  sub-basement  floor,  Fig.  i ,  these 
pipes  have  not  been  shown,  since  the  small  scale  of 
the  drawing  might  have  tended  to  create  some  con- 
fusion. 

The  eight  vertical  ducts  F  (see  also  Fig.  3,  which 
is  an  elevation  of  the  ducts),  are  of  necessity  made 
to  serve  the  dual  purpose  of  supply  and  discharge. 
To  adapt  them  to  such  purpose,  a  diaphragm  is  fixed 
in  such  way  as  to  provide  two  channels  having  areas. 
proportioned  to  the  quantities  of  fresh  and  spent  air 
to  be  moved  through  them  to  and  from  the  successive 
stories.  These  diaphragms  are  made  of  sheet  iron, 
which  is  secured  by  methods  effectually  pre- 
venting the  leakage  of  air  from  the  plenum  into  the 
exhaust  conduits.  Wherever  practicable,  the  dia- 
phragm is  so  placed  as  to  remove  the  supply  conduit 
from  the  outer  walls,  and  to  bring  the  discharge  con- 
duit against  them. 

Because  of  the  small  space  occupied  by  the  entire 
system,  velocities  of  the  air  moved  must  be  high. 
To  secure  to  each  register  of  the  lower  stories  its 
proportion  of  air,  and  to  prevent  its  going  by  such 
register  under  the  momentum  of  its  movement, 
deflectors  are  used,  the  area  of  each  and  the  angle  at 
which  it  is  set  controlling  the  air  volume  issuing  from 
each  register.  Similar  deflectors,  set  in  a  reverse 
position,  are  used  for  the  outlets  from  the  upper 
stories.  To  thoroughly  break  up  and  diffuse  the 
swift  flow  of  cool  air  in  solid  current  from  the  regis- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


ter,  diffusers,  such  as  are  shown  in  Fig.  i,  are  used. 

The  building  accommodates  some  30  students,  and 
the  air  supply  is  nearly  2,000,000  cubic  feet  per  hour, 
the  fan  running  at  250  revolutions. 

The  warming  is  effected  by  three  systems.  Because 
of  the  great  amount  of  steam  work  done  in  the  base- 
ment, air  must  be  supplied  in  large  quantities,  and 
at  a  temperature  ranging  from  45  to  55  degrees, 
according  to  laboratory  work  and  outside  conditions 
of  weather.  The  eight  distributing  flues  cannot  sup- 
ply air  to  the  several  floors  or  rooms  at  different 
temperatures.  They  must  supply  it. at  the  tempera- 
ture required  by  that  room  above  the  basement  most 
easily  warmed  to  the  point  desired.  Therefore  it 
becomes  necessary  to  provide  means  for  supplying 
air  through  one  system  of  conduits  to  the  basement 
at,  say  50  degrees,  and  to  all  rooms  above  the  base- 
ment at  70  degrees,  and  to  further  warm  the  air  by 
direct  means,  in  such  rooms  as  require  supple- 
mentary heat. 

The  air  is  heated  before  it  reaches  the  fan  to  50 
degrees,  a  "Standard"  metallic  thermometer  mounted 
in  the  fan  case  indicating  the  temperature,  which  is 
controlled  by  regulating  the  steam  pressure  in  the 
coil.  In  moving  under  pressure  through  the  sub- 
basement  conduits  the  air  leaks  into  the  basement,  as 
was  anticipated,  through  innumerable  small  vents, 
the  current  being  nowhere  sensible,  and  yet  the 
aggregate  volume  amounting  to  some  750,000  cubic 
feet  per  hour.  Reaching  the  base  of  the  flues  the  air 
passes  through  steam  coils  so  made  and  placed  that 
the  flue  area  is  not  obstructed  (Fig.  4).  The  control 
of  steam  to  these  coils  is  by  means  of  the  Johnson 


electric  regulating  apparatus,  the  thermostat  being 
hung  before  the  supply  register  on  the  third  floor. 
Whatever  the  temperature  in  the  sub-basement  con- 
duits, the  air  supply  to  the  rooms  may  be  maintained 
at  70  degrees  or  72  degrees,  the  range  being  confined 
within  these  limits  by  the  automatic  action  of  the 
regulator. 

Within  the  rooms  are  placed  wall  steam  pipes,  the 
steam  supply  to  which  is  regulated  by  the  Johnson 
automatic  apparatus,  the  thermostat  being  exposed 
within  the  rooms.  For  the  quick  warming  of  the 
building  the  sub-basement  conduit  temperature  may 
be  run  up  to  100  degrees,  and  the  flue  thermostat  may 
be  swung  away  from  the  register  front.  Air  at  such 
times  may  be  circulated  through  the  building  instead 
of  being  taken  from  the  outside. 

The  construction  and  arrangement  of  the  auxiliary 
heater  at  the  base  of  the  flues  is  a  matter  of  interest, 
because  well  suited  to  a  successful  working  of  the 
automatic  method  of  steam  supply.  The  steam  enters 
at  the  top  and  through  a  valve  so  throttled  that  when 
the  main  conduit  air  is  at  its  coldest  the  steam  flow 
will  be  nearly  continuous.  The  coil  drains  through 
a  check  valve.  Without  such  arrangement,  Pro- 
fessor Woodbridge  explains,  the  temperature  within 
the  flue  would  fluctuate  through  a  considerable 
range,  for  on  the  wide  opening  of  the  supply  and  re- 
turn valves  steam  would  enter  freely  at  both  ends 
and  suddenly  heat  up  the  coil  and  the  flue.  It  is 
desirable  that  the  steam  flow  should  be  as  nearly 
continuous  as  possible,  and  sufficient  in  quantity  to 
warm  the  air  passing  through  the  coil.  If  the  sup- 
ply valve  is  throttled  the  drip  valve  must  be  closed 


ffc.3 


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STEAM   HEATING   AT   THE   MASSACHUSETTS    INSTITUTE   OF   TECHNOLOGY. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


until  the  pressure  within  the  coil  is  sufficient  to  force 
the  accumulated  water  outward  against  the  steam 
pressure.  A  throttled  drip  valve  would  allow  steam 
to  back  into  the  coil  and  cause  pounding.  But  the 
check  valve  holds  back  the  steam  and  allows  the  con- 
densation to  collect  until  its  weight  and  the  steam 
pressure  combined  force  the  valve  open  and  the 
water  out.  The  filling  of  the  pipes  with  condensed 
water  serves  also  the  useful  purpose  of  automatically 
regulating  the  length  of  their  heated  parts,  and  aids 
in  maintaining  the  even  temperature  sought  in  the 
flues. 

The  heating  is  for  the  most  part  done  by  the 
exhaust  steam  of  engines  and  pumps  used  in  the 
building,  and  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  returning 
oily  water  to  the  boiler  the  condensation  is  passed 
into  the  sewer.  For  the  purpose  of  cooling  this 
water,  and  of  utilizing  its  heat,*it  is  passed  through 
800  feet  of  continuous  i^f-inch  pipe,  made  into  a 
trombone  coil  38  pipes  high,  7  feet  long,  and  3  pipes 
deep,  placed  before  the  inlet  window.  In  mild 
weather  the  condensation  is  so  small  that  it  goes  to 
the  sewer  cold.  When  the  outside  temperature  is 
low  the  temperature  of  the  chilled  water  is  higher, 
the  increase  in  the  rate  of  condensation  slightly  ex- 
ceeding that  of  the  chilling.  The  maximum  rate  of 
flow  is  about  i  cubic  foot  per  minute. 

The  fan  and  combined  heater,  Fig.  2,  with  directly 
attached  engine,  is  of  the  Sturtevant  pattern  and 
make,  with  a  large  by-pass  over  the  heater.  The 
fan  is  6  feet  in  diameter,  and  at  250  revolutions  per 
minute  supplies  33,000  cubic  feet  of  air. 


The  water  of  condensation  is  taken  care  of  by  a 
syphon  trap  made  of  a  4-inch  pipe,  18  feet  long, 
driven  vertically  into  the  ground,  bushed  at  the  top 
and  tapped  at  the  side.  Through  the  bushing  runs 
a  2^-inch  pipe  to  within  i  foot  of  the  bottom  of  the 
large  pipe.  This  pipe  is  bushed  at  the  top,  tapped 
at  the  side  and  open  at  the  bottom.  The  tap  receives 
the  water  from  the  returns.  The  bushing  receives  a 
i-inch  pipe  which  drains  the  supply  main  at  a  higher 
pressure  than  the  return,  and  runs  inside  the  2  J^-inch 
to  within  i  foot  of  the  bottom  of  the  large  pipe. 
Within  the  trap  there  may,  therefore,  be  two  press- 
ures and  two  heights  of  water  columns  on  the  steam 
side,  one  vent  discharging  the  water  of  both.  The 
only  resistance  or  friction  is  that  due  to  the  flow  of 
water  through  the  large  pipes. 

All  steam  for  the  building  is  brought  from  the 
Rogers  building  through  an  underground  6-inch 
pipe,  about  1,000  feet  long.  The  water  condensed 
in  the  heating  apparatus  is  metered,  and  the  record 
preserved  for  the  purpose  of  record  and  investigation. 

The  cost  of  the  complete  installment  was  nearly  as 
follows: 

Fan,    engine,    main    coil   (1,000    square   feet), 

coolers,  etc $T<445 

4,580  square  feet  of  direct  steam  surface,  flue 

coils,  mains,  fittings,  and  placing 4,49° 

Construction  of  ducts  and  sheet-iron  work QOO 

Johnson's  electric  service 1,355 

Pump,   Locke's   regulators,    sunken    syphon 
trap,  covering  mains,  etc 1,775 

Total $9,965 


STEAM    HEATING   AT  THE   MASSACHUSETTS  INSTITUTE  OF  TECHNOLOGY. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


The  direct  heating  surface  is  as  great  as  though 
the  heating  of  the  building  depended  solely  upon  it, 
as  insufficient  boiler  power  threatened  to  make  the 
use  of  the  ventilating  system  impracticable  in  severe 
weather.  Furthermore,  if  air  is  passed  into  the 
rooms  at  the  temperature  at  which  it  is  desired  to 
keep  such  rooms,  to  maintain  that  temperature  the 
direct  surface  must  be  as  large  as  would  be  required 
for  heating  by  direct  radiation. 

The  system  is  practically  a  dual  one,  the  capacity 
of  either  part  being  enough  for  the  heating  of  the 
building.  The  ventilating  system  includes  the  main 
heater,  cooler,  fan,  engine,  duct,  supplementary 
heater  in  flues,  etc.  Its  cost  may  be  put  at  $3,500, 
and  the  balance  may  be  charged  to  the  heating  plant. 
The  total  heating  surface  is  about  i  square  foot  to 
no  cubic  feet  of  space. 


Handicapped  by  the  conditions  imposed,  the  work 
is  of  interest  not  so  much  as  an  illustration  of  a  per- 
fect system,  as  of  what  may  be  accomplished  under 
difficulties. 
The  following  summary  will  prove  of  interest: 

Area  of  inlet  windows 33  square  feet. 

Area  through  steam  coil 20  " 

Area  of  fan  mouth 13.3         " 

Area  of  fan  discharge 12.2         " 

Area  of  floor  occupied  by  fan-room 

and  heating  chamber 120  " 

Area  of  heating  coil 1,200  " 

Area  of  flues  for  supply  and  dis- 
charge of  air 96 

Number  of  flues  for  supply  and  dis- 
charge of  air 8  " 

Air  volume  supplied,  cubic  feet  per 
hour 1,950,000 


FIG.  I 
BASEMENT  PLAN 

VENTILATION   AND   HEATING   OF   THE   AMERICAN   THEATER,    NEW   YORK    CITY.     (See  next  page.} 


HEATING   OF  THEATERS   AND   AMUSEMENT   HALLS. 


VENTILATION    AND    HEATING    OF    THE 
AMERICAN  THEATER,  NEW  YORK. 

PART   I. — GENERAL   DESCRIPTION   OF   THE    HEATING   AND 
VENTILATING    PLANT. 

THE  American  Theater,  at  the  corner  of  Forty- 
second  Street  and  Eighth  Avenue,  New  York  City, 
was  designed  by  Mr.  Charles  C.  Haight,  architect,  of 
New  York,  while  Mr.  William  J.  Baldwin,  of  the  same 
city,  was  the  engineering  contractor  for  the  heating 
and  ventilating  plant.  The  theater  proper  occupies 
an  area  about  175x100  teet,  and  it  is  one  of  the  largest 
in  New  York,  there  being  seating  capacity  for  about 
2,700  persons.  In  designing  the  ventilating  plant  no 
expense  was  spared  to  make  the  system  a  most  per- 
fect one,  and  though  the  principle  involved  is  not 
original  it  is  said  to  be  carried  out  in  a  more  thorough 
manner  than  in  any  theater  in  this  or  any  other 
country. 

The  theater  is  heated  mainly  by  the  indirect  sys- 
tem, while  a  few  direct-heating  radiators  are  placed 
in  the  dressing-rooms,  lobby,  the  rear  of  the  stage, 
and  other  places  where  the  heated  air  that  is  blown 
into  the  body  of  the  theater  would  not  be  liable  to 
penetrate.  There  are  about  i  ,400  square  feet  of  heat- 
ing surface  of  direct  radiators  in  the  building,  and 


about  2,500  square  feet  of  heating  surface  in  specially 
designed  coils  for  the  heating  chamber  in  the  base- 
ment. About  2,000,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per  minute 
is  drawn  from  the  heating  chamber  by  the  fan  and 
forced  into  the  theater,  thus  giving  about  660  cubic 
feet  per  person  per  minute,  assuming  the  theater  to 
hold  3,000  people. 

The  fresh  air  for  the  indirect  system  enters  the 
building  by  a  loggia  or  open  gallery  near  the  roof 
and  descends  to  the  heating  chamber  in  the  base- 
ment by  means  of  an  8  J^x3-foot  duct.  An  iron  dam- 
per in  this,  controlled  from  the  heating  chamber,  pre- 
vents an  upward  current  when  the  fan  is  at  rest. 
The  air  enters  at  one  end  of  the  chamber  and  near 
the  floor,  and  rising,  passes  between  the  inclined 
coils  to  the  fan.  There  is,  however,  an  unobstructed 
passage  at  one  side  of  the  coils  which  allows  the 
greater  part  of  the  air  to  pass  directly  to  the  fan. 
This  passage  can  be  closed  by  a  switch  valve  or  door 
swinging  on  a  vertical  axis,  and  by  the  partial  open- 
ing or  closing  of  this  door  the  temperature  of  the  air 
entering  the  theater  can  be  regulated.  This,  how- 
ever, is  not  the  only  way  in  which  this  can  be  done, 
as  the  coils  are  in  separate  sections,  each  controlled 
by  a  valve,  so  that  any  number  may  be  in  use  at  the 


Fie.  4 

SECTION  THRQUSH  THEATRE 

0       5       ID      19 

SB^^^S 
CALE    Of  FEET. 


VENTILATION   AND   HEATING   OF  THE   AMERICAN   THEATER,    NEW   YORK   CITY. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


will  of  the  operator.  An  opening  through  the  wall 
of  the  coil  chamber  allows  the  passage  of  air  to  the 
plenum  chamber.  An  8-foot  Sturtevant  cone-wheel 
fan  is  placed  opposite  the  opening,  the  shaft  carrying 
the  fan  being  supported  by  a  pillow  and  spider 
bearing.  The  fan  is  driven  by  a  belt  from  a  9x10- 
inch  Ames  engine. 

The  plenum  chamber  occupies  all  the  space  in  the 
basement  under  the  main  floor  of  the  theater,  as  will 
be  seen  by  Fig.  i,  the  basement  plan.  The  air  is 
delivered  to  the  lower  floor  by  means  of  341  openings 
that  pierce  the  main  floor  in  the  locations  shown  by 
the  small  circles  among  the  seats.  Figures  2  and  3 
show  the  locations  of  these  openings,  Fig.  3  being  the 
plan  of  the  balcony,  which  is  ventilated  by  the  same 
method.  These  openings  are  approximately  under 
every  seat  on  the  ground  floor  and  under  every  third 
seat  in  the  balcony.  A  hood  is  placed  over  each 
opening  to  diffuse  the  air  so  that  it  will  not  interfere 
with  the  comfort  of  the  occupants  of  the  seats  by 
causing  a  draft  about  their  feet.  Each  opening  has 
a  sectional  area  of  7  square  inches.  The  hoods  will 
be  described  in  detail  later  on. 


delivered  to  the  hall  above  that  discharged  into  the 
theater  proper.  The  latter  is  supposed  to  be  at  70  de- 
grees, or  a  little  less,  while  the  air  for  the  hall  will 
be  heated  by  this  radiator,  or  secondary  coil,  to 
about  140  degrees.  The  fresh  air  in  all  cases  is  shown 
by  straight  and  the  foul  air  by  wavy  arrows.  By  fol- 
lowing the  latter  in  the  sectional  view,  Fig.  4,  the 
foul-air  ducts  will  readily  be  distinguished.  The  foul 
air  underneath  the  balcony  is  carried  off  by  ducts 
that  run  horizontally  to  the  front  wall,  where  they 
rise  to  the  roof  and  there  finally  combine  to  form  one 
circular  flue  30  inches  in  diameter.  The  foul  air 
underneath  the  gallery  is  carried  off  by  two  vertical 
flues,  one  of  which  is  shown  by  the  vertical  dotted 
lines.  The  main  exit  for  the  air  in  the  theater,  how- 
ever, is  by  a  bell  in  the  ceiling.  A  horizontal  duct 
leads  from  the  bell  to  a  vertical  masonry  shaft  which 
finally  discharges  the  foul  air  into  the  atmosphere. 
The  horizontal  duct  is  provided  with  a  damper  con- 
trolled by  the  engineer  from  the  plenum  chamber,  so 
that  ventilation  through  the  bell  may  be  stopped  at 
any  time.  The  vertical  shaft  is  49  square  feet  in 
section. 


FJ6.2 
PUN  <* ORCHESTRA  HOOK. 

VENTILATION   AND    HEATING   OF   THE   AMERICAN   THEATER,    NEW   YORK   CITY, 


Several  horizontal  ducts  connect  the  plenum  cham- 
ber wich  the  vertical  ducts  built  in  the  front  wall  of 
the  building.  The  latter  leads  the  air  into  the  space 
under  the  floor  of  the  balcony,  from  which  it  is  finally 
discharged  by  the  hoods  under  the  seats. 

The  locations  marked  A  on  the  orchestra  floor 
show  the  location  of  the  vertical  ducts  furnishing 
fresh  air  to  the  balcony.  The  largest  of  these  ducts 
has  a  sectional  area  of  16  square  feet.  This  duct 
(marked  C)  beside  supplying  air  to  the  space  under 
the  seats  in  the  balcony  also  furnishes  air  to  the  main 
hall.  A  radiator  is  placed  in  the  branch  serving  for 
this  purpose  to  increase  the  temperature  of  the  air 


PART   II. — DETAILS    OF     BOILER   PLANT,    HEATING    COILS, 
AND   AIR   INLET   HOODS. 

THE  boiler  plant  consists  of  three  horizontal  return- 
tubular  boilers  5  feet  in  diameter  and  18  feet  in 
length.  The  tubes  are  64  in  number,  18  feet  in 
length  and  4  inches  in  diameter.  The  shell  of  the 
boiler  is  made  of  three  sheets,  each  made  of  f^-inch 
flange  steel  with  a  tensile  strength  of  60,000  pounds 
to  the  square  inch.  The  reduction  in  area  of  the  test 
specimen  was  not -to  have  been  less  than  45  per  cent, 
and  the  elongation  less  than  22  per  cent,  in  8  inches. 
The  heads  are  of  ^-inch  steel,  and  each  is  braced  by 
five  gusset  braces  made  of  ^-inch  steel  plate.  Owing 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


M 


to  the  narrowness  of  the  boiler-room  the  boilers  were 
supported  by  four  io^-inch  I  beams,  each  of  suffi- 
cient length  to  have  a  foot  on  each  end  rest  in  the 
walls  of  the  building.  The  I  beams  support  each 
boiler  by  means  of  four  wrought-iron  hangers,  the 
lower  ends  of  which  are  riveted  to  the  shell  of  the 
boiler  by  six  ^f-inch  rivets.  Figure  lA  shows  an 
enlarged  view  of  the  method  of  connecting  the 
hangers  to  the  I  beams. 

Figure  i  shows  the  longitudinal  section  through 
one  cf  the  boilers  and  the  cross-section  through  the 
two  that  are  set  in  a  battery.  The  setting  of  each  is 
lined  with  firebrick.  The  steam  leaves  the  boiler 
through  an  8-inch  main  (see  Fig.  2)  leading  to  the 
electric  light  engines  in  another  part  of  the  building. 
Various  branches  supply  the  elevator,  boiler  feed, 
and  house  pumps.  The  exhaust  returns  through 
an  8-inch  pipe  to  a  200  horse-power  Wainwright 
feed-water  heater  and  then  passes  through  a  grease 
extractor,  designed  by  Mr.  Baldwin.  After  passing 
through  the  grease  extractor  the  exhaust  line  has 
several  branches,  one  of  which  leads  the  exhaust 
steam  to  the  direct  radiators  located  in  different 
parts  of  the  building.  A  second  branch  leads  to 
the  heating  coils  in  the  fan  or  coil  chamber,  while 
a  third  pipe,  8  inches  in  diameter,  serves  as  a  free 
exhaust  to  the  atmosphere.  Each  of  these  lines  is 
provided  with  a  Jenkins  back-pressure  valve.  A  live- 
steam  connection  is  run  from  the  main  steam  pipe  to 
the  branch  leading  to  the  direct  radiators  and  also 
one  to  the  pipe  supplying  the  heating  coils.  The 
connection  to  these  pipes  is  in  each  instance  between 
the  back-pressure  valves  before  mentioned  and  the 
system  which  is  to  be  heated.  Each  of  the  pipes 
supplying  live  steam  has  a  Davis  reducing  valve 
set  to  open  at  three  pounds  pressure.  A  third 
back- pressure  valve  A  will  also  be  noticed  placed  in 
the  line  leading  to  the  direct  radiators.  A  glance  at 
the  sketch  (Fig.  2)  will  show  that  each  heating  sys- 
tem, that  supplying  the  heating  coils  and  that  sup- 
plying the  direct  radiators,  is  protected  by  two  back- 
pressure valves,  so  that  if  one  becomes  deranged  a 
second  one  is  in  readiness  to  prevent  live  steam  from 
blowing  through  the  reducing  valve  and  out  of  the 
building  through  the  free  exhaust. 


Figure  3  shows  a  plan  and  elevation  of  the  heating 
coils  that  are  placed  in  the  coil  chamber  to  heat  the 
air  forced  into  the  theater.  These  coils  contain  about 
2,500  square  feet  of  radiating  surface  composed  of 
i-inch  pipes  placed  2^  inches  between  centers  hori- 
zontally. The  headers  are  of  cast-iron  specially 
designed  for  this  plant.  They  are  square  in  section, 
the  inlet  or  supply  pipe  coming  in  one  end  of  the 
header  and  near  the  top  while  the  return  leaves 
the  header  from  the  other  end  nearer  the  bottom. 
The  air  passes  in  a  downward  direction  around  them. 
Figure  4  shows  the  construction  of  the  standard  for 
supporting  the  coils,  while  Fig.  5  shows  the  miter 
coils  placed  against  the  rear  wall  of  the  stage. 

Figure  6  shows  several  drawings  of  the  specially 
designed  cast-iron  hoods  that  admit  the  air  from  the 
plenum  chamber  into  the  theater,  these  being  placed 
under  the  seats.  The  hood  or  cover  is  held  in  posi- 
tion by  the  guides.  A  projection  in  the  outer  edge 
of  a  pair  of  these  seats  itself  into  slots  cut  out  of  the 


*    From  Boilers.     • 

DETAIL   Or    HOOD 


FIG.U 


Section  through 
rioor  fieca 


Section  through  Hood 


FIG  I. 


SECTION  THROUGH  FURNACE      * 


SECTION  THROUGH  BOILER 
VENTILATION  AND  HEATING  OF   THE   AMERICAN   THEATER,   NEW   YORK   CITY. 


JOO 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


upper  edge  of  the  floor  piece.  These  slots  are  cut  to 
varying  depths,  thus  allowing  the  hood  to  be  adjusted 
so  as  to  admit  the  desired  amount  of  air. 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATING  THE  NEW 

YORK  MUSIC  HALL. 

THE  New  York  Music  Hall,  founded  by  Andrew 
Carnegie,  and  controlled  by  the  Music  Hall  Company 
of  New  York,  Limited,  is  located  at  the  corner  of 

Seventh  Avenue  and  Fifty-seventh  Street,  New  York 

IT 
City,  and  was  opened  to  the  public  for  the  first  time  on      ; 

the  evening  of  May  5, 1891.  The  building,  as  its  name  £ 
indicates,  is  to  serve,  in  the  main,  the  purpose  of 
musical  entertainment,  and  has  been  designed  to 
accommodate  large  audiences.  One  of  the  several 
important  problems  connected  with  its  construction 
has,  therefore,  been,  as  might  be  readily  anticipated, 
that  of  adequately  heating  and  ventilating  its  several 
portions,  and  the  exposition  of  the  chief  character- 
istics of  the  manner  in  which  this  has  been  accom- 
plished is  the  purpose  of  this  article. 

Before  taking  up  this  matter,  however,  it  may  not 
be  amiss  to  direct  attention  to  some  of  the  structural 
features  of  the  building.     Brick  has  been  employed 
for  the  exterior,  the  decorations  being  of  terra-cotta. 
The  principal  doorways  are  approached  by  a  series 
of  steps,  80  feet  broad.     The  chief  feature  of  the  in- 
terior is  the  main  concert  hall,  shown  in  Fig?,  i  and  sj- 
2,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  3,000,  and  standing  o 
room  for  about  1,000  more.     The  entrance  to  this  is  L- 
on  Fifty-seventh  Street  through  a  vestibule  70  feet 
long,  with  a  vaulted  ceiling  25  feet  high.     This  hall 
was  designed  purely  as  a  concert  hall,  and  is,  there- 
fore, not  equipped  in  any  way  with  theatrical  devices,    f. 
and  has  neither  drop  curtain  nor  footlights.     The     v 
parquet,  capable  of  seating  1,000  persons,  has  nine 
exits  upon  the  corridors  surrounding  it,  the  corri- 
dors, as  shown,  continuing  entirely  around  the  build- 
ing.    Above  the  parquet  are  two  tiers  of  boxes,  the 
dress  circle,  and  the  balcony.     The  arrangement  of 
these  several  tiers  is  different  from  the  usual  method, 
in  that  they  do  not  extend  entirely  around  the  three 
sides  of  the  house,  stopping  at  the  line  of  the  pro- 
scenium, but  terminate  on  the  side  walls  at  points 
further  and  further  back  from  the  front  of  the  audi- 
torium, gradually  expanding  the  hall  and  advan- 
tageously displaying  the  magnificent  ceiling  which  «*3 
spans  the  great  space.     The  prevailing  colors  in  the  £=• 
decoration  of  the  mam  hall  are  in  ivory-white,  gold, 
and  rose. 

The  second  large  room  in  the  building  is  known  as 
the  "  Recital  Hall,"  and  is  located  under  the  main 
hall. 

Its  general  disposition  is  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Its 
seating  capacity  is  1,200,  and  the  decorations  are 
similar  to  those  of  the  main  hall.  Above  the  main 
hall,  and  extending  also  laterally,  are  a  series  of 
lodge-rooms,  smoking  and  committee  rooms,  banquet 
hall,  etc.,  arranged  in  the  manner  shown  in  Fig.  4. 

The  heating  and  ventilating,  in  the  main,  is  accom- 
plished by  a  plenum-vacuum  system,  both  blowers 
and  exhausters  being  used  to  handle  the  immense 
quantities  of  air  requisite  for  the  purpose. 


o 

.N 

I 


1 
I 


8 


csi        Ct; 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


101 


k^udrfiMpBDLMu! 


FIG.    2.— HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  THE  NEW   YORK   MUSIC   HALL. 


102 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


A  noteworthy  feature  of  the  manner  of  air  supply 
is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  fresh  air,  at  any  temper- 
ature desired,  is  made  to  enter  through  perforations 
in  or  near  the  ceilings,  passes  downward  through 
the  halls  and  different  rooms,  and  passes  out  through 
exhaust  registers  near  the  floor  or  through  perfor- 
ated risers  in  the  latter.  Ten  million  cubic  feet  of 
air  per  minute  are  supplied  to  the  building,  repre- 
senting a  complete  change  of  air  six  times  per  hour, 
and  the  aggregate  area  of  inlet  and  outlet  openings 
amounts  to  about  2,000  square  feet.  This  large  area 
brings  the  velocities  of  influx  and  efflux  down  to 
about  I  foot  per  second,  avoiding  objectionable 
drafts. 

The  general  arrangement  of  blowers,  fresh-air 
ducts,  engines,  etc.,  is  shown  in  Fig.  5,  which  repre- 
sents a  partial  plan  of  the  cellar  portion  of  the  build- 
ing. The  air  supplied  to  the  building  is  taken 
through  a  vertical  inlet  shaft,  marked  "  fresh-air 
shatt  "  in  Figs.  4  and  5,  and  simply  "  air  shaft"  in 
Fig.  i.  This  extends  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of 
the  building,  and  the  air  is  led  from  it  to  four  Stur- 
tevant  pressure  blowers  B  B  and  B'  B'.  That  part  of 
the  building  known  as  the  music  hall  proper,  and 
comprising  the  main  portion  outlined  in  Fig.  i,  is 
heated  and  ventilated  by  a  duplex  system  complete 
in  itself.  The  parts  of  the  structure  known  as  the 
lateral  building,  and  also  'the  Fifty-sixth  Street 
building,  shown  in  outline  by  the  upper  and  lateral 
projections  in  Figs.  4  and  5,  also  have  jointly  an  in- 
dependent duplex  system. 

The  Music  Hall  system  comprises  the  two  7-foot 
blowers  B  B,  Fig.  5,  driven  by  the  10x1 2-inch  hori 


zontal  engines  E  E,  making  from  150  to  175  revolu- 
tions per  minute,  and  placed  in  front  of  each  fan 
under  the  air  duct,  one  being  right  hand  and  the 
other  left  hand.  The  fans  are  4  feet  wide  at  the 
inlet,  and  have  a  top  horizontal  discharge  measuring 
4x4  feet.  Both  outlets  discharge  into  one  main  duct 
F  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  dampers  D  D  being 
fitted  at  the  intersection  to  equalize  the  blast  from 
each  fan.  In  case  only  one  fan  is  working,  the 
pressure  caused  by  it  will  automatically  close  the 
duct  from  the  idle  fan.  The  main  duct,  it  will  be 
observed,  is  fitted  with  branch  ducts  F1  and  F2,  each 
having  a  damper  D,  and  supplying  the  recital  and 
main  halls,  and  also  the  air-supply  duct  G  to  the 
stage.  The  larger  portion  of  the  air  supply  through 
the  duct  F  is  however  delivered  into  the  shaft  C, 
which  supplies  the  boxes  in  the  music  hall  proper, 
and  the  space  above  the  music  hall  main  ceiling, 
from  which,  as  already  explained,  the  air  passes 
through  perforations  in  the  ceiling.  The  main  duct 
F  is  made  of  No.  14  iron,  and  has  a  free  area  of  32 
square  feet.  The  openings  J  J  permit  the  escape  of 
some  fresh  air  into  the  engine-room. 

Before  entering  the  blowers  BB  the  air,  on  its  way 
from  the  fresh-air  shaft,  passes  through  Sturtevant 
heaters  H  H,  consisting  of  four  groups  containing 
13,664  lineal  feet  of  i  J^-inch  pipe,  equivalent  to  6,620 
square  feet  of  heating  surface,  the  bases  and  fittings 
included. 

The  lateral  and  Fifty-sixth  Street  building  system 
has  also  two  Sturtevant  blowers,  B'  B',  each  6  feet 
in  diameter,  with  42x42-inch  inlets.  Each  has  a 
top  horizontal  discharge  measuring  42  inches  square 


FIG.  I. — GENERAL   SECTION  THROUGH   AUDITORIUM HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  THE  NEW  YORK   MUSIC  HALL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


103 


in  the  clear  and  giving,  thus,  an  area  of  opening  of 
12^  square  feet.  Each  fan  is  driven  by  a  vertical 
Qxi2-inch  engine  E',  making  from  125  to  150  revo- 
lutions per  minute.  The  outlets  from  these  two 
blowers  also  discharge  into  one  main  duct,  F3,  having 
a  sectional  area  of  30  square  feet,  and  suspended 
from  the  ceiling.  After  leaving  the  blowers  this 
duct  branches  into  two  ducts,  in  opposite  directions, 
one  of  12*^  square  feet  area,  going  to  the  Fifty- 
sixth  Street  building,  and  the  other  of  24  square  feet 
area,  leading  to  the  lateral  building.  Suitable 
dampers  D  are  here  again  provided  to  properly  reg- 
ulate the  flow  of  air.  Besides  these  two  main 
branches  there  is  a  third  branch  leading  to  the  air- 
supply  duct  C  for  the  music  hall  stage.  The  duct 
for  the  Fifty-sixth  Street  building  discharges  into 


the  shaft  U,  from  which  the  air  is  further  distributed 
to  the  several  points  to  be  supplied. 

The  fresh-air  heater  H'  for  this  second  system  is 
also  of  the  Sturtevant  type,  and  consists  of  two 
groups  containing  6,832  lineal  feet  of  i^f-inch  pipe, 
equivalent  to  3,310  square  feet  of  heating  surface, 
including,  as  before,  bases  and  fittings.  The  heaters 
are  incased  in  steel  plate  of  No.  12  gauge,  and  are  so 
connected  to  the  respective  inlets  of  the  several 
blowers  that  all  the  air  drawn  in  by  them  will  have 
passed  through  the  heaters.  Each  heater  is  under 
control  by  individual  steam  and  return  connections, 
valves,  etc.,  and  the  temperature  of  the  warm  air 
supplied  to  the  buildings  is  regulated  by  turning  on 
or  shutting  off  the  steam  supply  to  the  heater  sec- 
tions, of  which  there  are  42.  One  square  foot 


FIG.  3. — PLAN   OF   RECITAL    HALL. HEATING   AND   VENTILATING  THE   NEW    YORK    MUSIC   HALL. 


104 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


ir 

w* 

-taitotr     H 

?sp^^^^^^ 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


105 


FIG.  4. — UPPER   FLOOR. — HEATING   AND   VENTILATING  THE   NEW   YORK   MUSIC   HALL. 


106 


FHE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


of  heating  surface  is  provided  for  every  1,000  cubic 
feet  cf  air  entering  the  buildings.  For  the  purpose 
of  cooling  the  air  supplied  to  the  building  in  warm 
weather,  ice  racks  R  R  R  are  provided,  capable  of 
holding  six  tons. 

The  horizontal  blower  engines  E  E  were  built  by 
the  Porter  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Syracuse, 
N.  Y.,  and  the  vertical  engines  E' E',  by  the  New 
York  Safety  Steam  Power  Company,  of  New  York. 

As  previously  stated,  all  the  air  supplied  to  the 
different  parts  of  the  building  is  again  drawn  out  by 
a  separate  fan  system,  the  exhaust  taking  place  at  or 
near  the  floor  levels.  This  vitiated  air  is  led  through 
a  duct  system  to  an  exhaust  shaft.  Fig.  5,  situated  in 
the  lateral  building,  and  shown  also  in  Figs.  3  and 


4.  This  shaft  leads  to  the  roof  of  the  building, 
where  the  exhaust  plant  is  located.  A  plan  of  this 
roof  portion,  showing  the  location  of  engines  and 
fans,  is  given  in  Fig.  6.  The  whole  engine  and  fan 
compartment  is,  as  will  be  readily  understood,  sim- 
ply an  enlargement  of  the  upper  exhaust  duct  which 
leads  from  the  upper  end  of  the  exhaust  shaft  at 
the  rear  end  of  the  lateral  building  to  the  front 
end.  There  are,  as  shown,  three  6-foot  Sturtevant 
fans  F,  driven  by  three  gxi2-inch  horizontal  Porter 
engines  E.  The  fan  outlets  O  are  connected  each 
with  a  separate  No.  18  galvanized-iron  duct, 
extended  about  4  feet  above  the  roof  and  furnished 
with  a  protecting  cap.  The  small  shaft  D,  of 
triangular  section,  discharging  directly  above  the 


^^ 


iii 


HEATING    AND   VENTILATING   THE   NEW    YORK    MUSIC    HALL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


1W 


o 


HEATING   AND    VENTILATING   THE    NEW    YORK    MUSIC    HALL. 


108 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


building,  is  an  exhaust  shaft  leading  up  from  the 
kitchen,  where  a  Blackman  fan  is  located  for  ven- 
tilating purposes.  S  S  S  are  skylights. 

The  heating  of  the  building  throughout  is  designed 
principally  for  the  use  of  exhaust  steam,  but,  in  ad- 
dition, live-steam  heating  connections  are  supplied. 
A  number  of  direct  radiators  are  also  placed  in 
different  parts  of  the  building.  The  details  of  this 
part  of  the  work,  however,  we  have  not  attempted  to 
enter  into  in  this  article. 

The  location  of  the  three  boilers,  which  are  of  the 
sectional  type,  supplied  by  the  Abendroth  &  Root 
Mfg.  Co.,  of  New  York,  is  shown  in  Fig.  5.  S  is  the 
smoke  flue.  The  boilers  are  arranged  in  two  bat- 
teries, the  single  boiler  being  of  175  H.  P.,  and  each 
of  the  other  two  is  rated  at  150  H.  P.,  making  475 
H.  P.  boiler  capacity  in  all.  The  bo'lers  supply 
steam  to  four  Straight-Line  electric  light  engines  A*, 
driving  Thomson-Houston  dynamos  L,  and  to  the 
seven  engines  connected  with  the  heating  and  venti- 
lating system. 


The  architect  of  the  Music  Hall  is  Mr.  William 
Burnet  Tuthill,  of  New  York.  Messrs.  Adler  &  Sul- 
livan, of  Chicago,  are  the  associate  architects.  The 
steam  power,  heating  and.  ventilating  plant  was 
designed,  and  its  installation  supervised,  by  Mr 
Alfred  R.  Wolff,  of  New  York;  and  Messrs.  Johnson 
&  Morris,  of  New  York,  were  the  contractors  for  the 
work. 

PART  II. — DETAILS  OF  HEATING  AND  COOLING  APPARATUS 
FOR   FRESH-AIR    SUPPLY. 

ALL  the  fresh  air,  a  full  delivery  of  about  ten 
million  cubic  feet  per  minute,  is  taken  above  the  roof 
and  brought  down  the  shaft  A,  Pig.  7,  which  is  6x12 
feet  in  size,  to  the  basement  distributing  chamber  G, 
which  supplies  the  fan  suctions.  Figure  7  is  an  en- 
larged reproduction  of  a  part  of  Fig.  5,  and  shows 
the  heating,  cooling,  and  blowing  plant.  In  warm 
weather  ice  is  placed  in  racks  C  C  C,  over  which  the 
air  must  pass  to  enter  the  chamber  G.  From  the 
chamber  G  the  air  is  drawn  by  the  blast  fan  into 


HEATING   AND    VENTILATING    THE   NEW    YORK    MUSIC    HALL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


109 


chambers  D  and  Dj.  Two  engines  E  E  with  lox 
12-inch  cylinders  drive  the  7-foot  blowers  B  B,  which 
deliver  the  air  at  a  pressure  of  about  three  ounces  to 
the  main  duct  F,  which  has  a  net  area  of  32  square 
feet,  and  supplies  the  music  hall  and  the  main  build- 
ing. The  fresh  air  can,  at  all  times,  only  enter  the 
chambers  D  and  Dt  by  passing  through  the  steam 
radiators  H  H  and  H^  H^  the  former  having  a  total 
radiating  surface  of  about  6,600  square  feet,  and  the 
latter  of  about  3,300  square  feet.  Of  course,  in  warm 
weather  the  steam  is  partly  or  entirely  cut  off  from 
the  radiators,  so  that  the  air  passes  through  them 
with  little  or  no  rise  of  temperature.  The  two  6-foot 
fans  are  driven  by  engines  Et  Et,  with  9x1 2-inch 
cylinders,  and  deliver  into  the  blast  main  F1?  which 
has  a  net  cross-section  of  30  square  feet,  and  sup- 


plies the  rest  of  the  building.  I  I  and  Ix  Ix  are  the 
outlets  of  the  fans  and  communicate  with  the  blast 
mains  F  and  Flt  which  are  shown  dotted,  because 
they  are  close  to  the  basement  ceiling  and  really 
above  the  plane  of  section  for  this  figure.  K  K  are 
diaphragms  to  distribute  the  air  between  the  two 
fans  of  each  pair.  L  L,  etc.,  are  doors,  J  is  a  column 
and  N  a  foundation  pier.  M  is  the  ventilation  shaft 
which  receives  foul  air  from  a  basement  gallery 
and  ducts  on  the  upper  floors  and  discharges  above 
the  roof  through  an  exhaust  chamber  and  fans. 

Figure  8  shows  the  bottom  of  the  fresh-air  shaft  A 
and  its  outlets  C  C  C,  through  which  the  air  must  pass 
into  the  distribution  chamber  G.  The  ice  is  placed 
on  racks  O  O,  etc.,  and  drips  into  galvanized-iron 
pans  P  P,  etc.,  which  slide  in  galvanized-iron  guides 


JR.  o  o  f  X 


I 


\ j:ddddd,^ 


cbarr?&er  under  fitff  dree?  of 


HEATING    AND    VENTILATING   THE    NEW    YORK    MUSIC    HALL. 


130 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


Ill 


Q  Q,  etc.  S  S,  etc.,  are  waste  pipes,  and  D  D  D  are 
doors.  Figure  9  is  a  perspective  view  from  T,  Fig.  7, 
of  the  chamber  D,  two  sides  of  which  are  composed  of 
radiators  H  H,  etc.,  and  the  top  and  remaining  sides 
of  No.  12  steel  plates.  U  is  the  steam  supply  and 
V  the  drip  pipe  with  independent  connections  to 
each  of  the  four  radiators.  Figure  10  is  a  section 
and  elevation  at  Y  Y,  Fig.  7;  X  X  are  iron  safes, 
and  W  W  their  wastes.  Figure  u  is  a  section  at  Z  Z 
Fig.  7,  showing  the  inlet  into  fan  B,  and  a  check- 
valve  damper  &  in  the  branch  to  main  F,  which 
opens  with  the  blast,  but  closes  against  any  back 
pressure  so  as  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  suction 
through  it  if  its  fan  was  stopped  and  the  companion 
was  running. 

PART  III. — DISTRIBUTION  OF  FRESH  AIR,  VENTILATION 
SHAFT  AND  EXHAUST  CHAMBERS,  EXHAUST  ENGINES, 
DETAILS  OF  LOUVER  AND  DAMPER. 

FIGURE  12  is  a  general  vertical  section  of  the  main 
building,  not  to  scale  or  accurate  position,  but  in- 
tended as  a  diagram  to  show  the  distribution  of 
fresh  air  and  the  withdrawal  of  foul  air  in  the  prin- 
cipal rooms.  Detail  A  shows  the  method  of  sup- 
plying extra  heat  and  air  to  the  stage  through  per- 
forations in  the  horizontal  top  of  the  6-foot  wain- 


scoting W,  around  the  walls.  Figure  13  shows  the 
top  of  ventilation  shaft  M,  Figs.  7  and  12,  and  the 
gallery  B  connecting  with  the  attic  exhaust  chamber 
C.  The  foul  air  is  withdrawn  as  indicated  by  the 
dotted  arrows,  by  the  6-foot  fans  F  F  F,  driven  by 
the  gxi2-inch  engines  E  E  E,  which  are  served  by 
branches  (here  omitted,  to  avoid  confusion)  from 
steam  pipes  P  Q.  The  air  withdrawn  is  discharged 
through  the  stacks  O  O  O  above  the  roof.  J  J  are 
lodge-rooms  which  receive  fresh  air  through  ducts 
III,  and  discharge  foul  air  through  registers  H  H  H 
into  the  exhaust  chamber  D,  whence  it  is  drawn 
through  sliding  damper  G  into  the  gallery  B.  Pipes 
I  I  I  do  not  really  appear  on  the  section  at  Z  Z,  but 
are  here  shown  as  if  on  the  wall  L,  instead  of  on 
wall  K,  so  as  to  indicate  their  position.  Figure  14  is 
an  enlarged  plan  of  exhaust  chamber  C,  Fig.  13, 
showing  connections  of  the  steam  pipe  P  and  exhaust 
pipe  Q.  Figure  15  is  an  enlarged  elevation  and  sec- 
tion at  Z  Z,  Fig.  14.  Figure  16  shows  the  house  on  the 
roof,  which  covers  the  top  of  the  fresh-air  shaft  A, 
Fig.  7.  The  house  is  about  10x18x10  feet  high,  with 
brick  walls  and  a  tin  roof.  Figure  17  shows  the  but- 
terfly damper  A,  in  the  fresh-air  main  I,  Fig.  13.  Its 
axis  is  fastened  to  a  crank  B  which  moves  on  a  hori- 
zontal radial  guide  C,  at  any  point  of  which  it  may 
be  secured  by  a  pin. 


HEATING  OF  PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 


REMODELING  THE    VENTILATIMG    PLANT 
IN  A  NEW  YORK  COURT-HOUSE. 

THE  New  York  County  Court-House,  which  was 
erected  before  1870,  contains  a  ventilating  plant 
which  was  entirely  remodeled  in  1892.  The  building 
was  formerly  warmed  and  ventilated  by  a  fan  system 
divided  into  four  sections,  so  that  each  quarter  of  the 
building  was  provided  with  its  own  independent  fan 
driven  by  a  belt  from  a  small  slow-speed  Wright 
engine.  Steam  was  then  supplied  to  the  engines  and 
heating  coils  by  four  locomotive  boilers  located  under 
the  sidewalk  and  in  the  same  location  as  the  boilers 
shown  on  the  plan,  Fig.  i. 

Each  fan  drew  its  supply  of  air  from  a  cellar  win- 
dow and  discharged  it  into  a  brick  distributing  duct 
that  was  built  under  the  cellar  floor  and  which  ter- 
minated in  coil  chambers  containing  large  coils  of 
i-inch  pipe.  Flues  led  from  these  coil  chambers  to 
the  various  rooms  to  be  heated.  Nearly  all  ot  these 
flues  were  i8"x2'6"  in  size. 

Owing  to  poor  circulation  of  steam  in  the  coils  the 
entering  air  in  excessively  cold  weather  froze  the 
water  in  the  coils  and  burst  the  pipes.  To  prevent 
this  it  was  necessary  to  stop  the  fan  and  only  allow 
such  a  quantity  of  air  to  flow  through  the  coils  as 
would  be  moved  by  natural  ventilation.  Tne  quan- 
tity of  air  being  too  small  for  a  proper  ventilation, 
numerous  complaints  were  made,  which  ended 
in  the  renovating  of  the  entire  plant.  Tempering 
coils  were  placed  in  the  cold-air  ducts  leading  to  the 
fans,  sufficient  in  surface  to  warm  the  entering  air 
to  70°  Fahr.  before  passing  to  the  newly  put  in  pin 
coils  at  the  base  of  the  flues.  The  flues  which  take 
their  air  supply  from  these  coil  chambers  can  either 
take  the  air  after  it  has  passed  through  these  sec- 
ondary coils  or  before  it  has  been  in  contact  with 
them,  this  being  permitted  by  the  extension  of  the 
old  vertical  flues  downward  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
coil  chamber,  as  shown  by  the  sectional  view,  Fig.  2. 
The  direction  of  the  current  of  air  through  the  coils 
is  controlled  by  a  damper  A  actuated  by  a  Johnson 
thermostat  placed  in  the  room  to  be  heated.  When 
the  room  becomes  too  warm  the  damper  is  so  moved 
that  the  air  enters  the  flue  through  the  bottom  open- 
ing B.  As  each  flue  has  its  independent  damper 
controlled  by  the  thermostat  in  the  room  to  which 
the  flue  leads,  it  will  be  seen  that  when  a  room  be- 
comes too  warm  the  air  entering  it  is  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  70  degrees,  while  the  heating  power  of  the 
secondary  coils  is  entirely  used  in  heating  some  other 
room  which  is  at  a  lower  temperature.  To  avoid  any 
possibility  of  a  back-flow  of  heated  air  from  the  coils 
down  to  the  lower  flue  openings  C,  a  thermostat  is 


placed  in  the  lower  part  of  the  heating  chamber  so 
that  if  the  air  at  that  point  becomes  too  warm  it  will 
shut  off  the  supply  of  steam  from  the  coils.  Impure 
air  is  removed  from  the  rooms  through  registers  at 
the  floor  and  ceiling,  both  entering  into  a  common 
flue.  A  damper  D  is  placed  in  the  upper  one,  and  it 
is  moved  in  conjunction  with  the  damper  A  in  the 
hot-air  flue.  When  the  room  gets  too  warm  the 
damper  in  the  vent  register  opens  as  the  damper  A 
closes  so  that  the  upper  layers  of  air  in  the  room 
which  are  the  warmest  will  pass  out  as  quickly  as 
possible.  When,  on  the  other  hand,  the  room  is  too 
cool  the  damper  in  the  vent  register  closes,  thus 
compelling  the  warm  air  as  it  enters  the  room  to 
gradually  sink  and  force  the  cold  air  at  the  bottom 
out  through  the  vent  shaft. 


Other  improvements  made  in  the  apparatus  were 
the  removal  of  the  old  locomotive  boilers  and  putting 
in  four  horizontal  tubular  boilers.  The  vertical  en- 
gines were  replaced  by  two  Skinner  engines,  and  so 
connected  by  countershafts  and  belts  that  either  en- 
gine may  run  the  four  fans. 

The  work  of  improving  this  plant  was  done  by  the 
Q.  N.  Evans  Construction  Company,  of  New  York 
City,  and  to  them  we  are  indebted  for  the  data  from 
which  this  description  was  prepared. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


113 


114 


THE  ENGINEERING    RECORD'S 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  THE 
SUFFOLK  COUNTY  COURT-HOUSE. 

PART  I. — GENERAL     DESCRIPTION,     PLAN    AND   VERTICAL 
SECTION  OF  BOILER-ROOM. 

AMONG  the  new  public  buildings  of  Boston,  Mass., 
the  structure  completed  in  1892  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  the  county  officials  and  courts  of  Suffolk 
County  is  prominent.  It  is  a  brick  and  iron  building 
about  450x180  in  extreme  dimensions  and  is  located 
on  the  eastern  acclivity  of  the  hill  which  is  crowned 
by  the  gilded  dome  of  the  State  House.  The  build- 
ing has  many  public  and  legal  halls,  offices,  single 
and  in  suites,  beside  the  city  jail,  which  forms  a  part 
of  the  same  construction  and  is  included  in  the  heat- 
ing and  ventilating  system,  which  was  installed  by 
Samuel  I.  Pope  &  Co.,  of  Chicago,  111., in  accordance 


large  rooms  and  halls,  to  provide  local  heaters  in  the 
offices  and  in  the  exposed  positions  under  windows, 
etc.,  to  temper  the  incoming  currents  of  air. 

The  heating  plant  is  a  low-temperature  hot-water 
system,  operated  by  boilers  situated  in  the  sub-base- 
ment, furnishing  the  heated  water  to  the  radiator 
coils  of  cast  and  wrought-iron  pipe,  distributed 
throughout  the  building,  the  indirect  radiators  being 
located  in  the  basement,  and  the  direct  and  direct- 
indirect  radiators  being  mostly  set  in  the  recesses  of 
the  windows.  These  radiator  coils  warm  the  fresh 
air,  which  is  introduced  beneath  the  cast-iron  sub- 
sills  on  the  various  stories,  and  the  exterior  windows 
and  opening  of  basement. 

The  boilers  for  the  heating  apparatus  are  12  in 
number,  48  inches  in  diameter  and  16  feet  long,  con- 
taining 72  3^. inch  flues.  These  12  heating  boilers 


HEATING  AND   VENTILATION  OF  THE   SUFFOLK   COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE. 


with  the  plans  and  specifications  of  Bartlett,  Hay- 
ward  &  Co. ,  of  Baltimore,  Md.  George  A.  Clough 
was  architect  of  the  building.  The  above-named 
contractors  executed  their  work  for  a  little  over 
$122,000,  and  believed  it  to  be  the  largest  hot-water 
job  that  had  at  that  time  been  let  in  one  contract, 
although  they  had  received  $128,879  f°r  the  Cin- 
cinnati Post-Office  building,  which  was  done  when 
materials  were  more  expensive.  Among  other  jobs 
of  a  nature  and  magnitude  tD  invite  comparison  are 
the  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Post-Offices,  which  were 
done  by  Bartlett,  Hayward  &  Co.,  of  Baltimore,  Md., 
and  the  Army  and  Navy  building  in  Washington, 
D.  C.,  which  was  done  by  sections  at  various 
times. 

The  Suffolk  County  Court-Honse  has  a  volume  of 
about  4,500,000  cubic  feet,  and  by  reason  of  its  situa- 
tion is  somewhat  exposed  to  sea  winds,  and  is  subject 
to  low  temperatures  in  the  colder  months.  There  are 
many  external  walls  and  numerous  large  windows 
present  great  areas  of  radiating  surface  for  the  loss 
of  internal  heat,  so  that  it  was  decided  beside  fur- 
nishing warm  fresh  air  throughout  the  corridors, 


are  set  in  one  battery,  with  14-inch  pipes  for  flow  and 
return  pipes,  connecting  into  a  3o-inch  main  flow 
pipe.  This  main  flow  pipe  starts  at  30  inches  from 
the  boilers,  and  is  gradually  reduced  as  branches  are 
taken  off.  It  is  of  cast  iron  from  30  inches  to  6 
inches  inclusive.  There  are  also  two  boilers  for 
power  purposes,  54  inches  in  diameter  and  15  feet 
long,  containing  47  3  ^-inch  flues.  These  boilers  are 
for  operating  elevators  and  for  pumping  water  for 
supplying  the  building. 

The  air  supply  to  the  direct  radiators  being  on  a 
level  with  the  tops  of  the  radiators  fresh-air  ducts  are 
formed  in  the  window  recesses  behind  the  radiators 
to  deflect  the  air  to  the  bottom  of  the  radiators.  These 
ducts  are  formed  and  protected  from  the  radiant  heat 
of  the  radiators  by  non-conducting  aprons;  the 
amount  of  fresh  air  introduced  being  controlled  by  a 
damper  situated  beneath  the  bottom  of  the  apron. 
The  indirect  radiators  are  situated  in  the  basement. 
They  are  set  upon  brick  piers,  and  encased  by  brick 
walls,  the  air  supply  being  conducted  to  the  chamber 
beneath  the  radiators  by  brick  and  galvanized-iron 
ducts,  and  the  supply  of  air  being  controlled  by 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


115 


116 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


dampers.  There  are  about  80,000  square  feet  of  in- 
direct radiation  placed  in  brick  chambers,  and  about 
80 ,000  lineal  feet  of  direct  and  direct-indirect  radia- 
tion. The  indirect  radiation  is  3-inch  cast-iron  coils; 
the  indirect  and  indirect-direct  radiation  is  i-inch 
horizontal  radiators. 

All  of  the  vitiated  air  in  the  building  is  expelled 
through  ventilating  flues,  which  have  a  forced  circu- 
lation and  discharge  above  the  roof.  The  schedule 


of  material  submitted  by  the  commissioners  for  the 
contractors  to  estimate  from  covered  60  pages,  and  the 
contract  provided  for  80  per  cent,  payments  monthly, 
as  the  work  progressed,  for  material  delivered  at  the 
building;  10  per  cent,  of  the  retained  amount  to  be 
paid  when  the  job  was  completed  and  10  per  cent, 
after  the  apparatus  was  run  one  heating  season. 

Figure  i  is  a  plan  of  the  boilers  and  connections  in 
the  boiler-room  in  the  sub-basement,  and  Fig.  2  is 


ora-a.       Jecf'b/?  of  5-b 

FigJ4 


Fig.  13 


P/o/i  ry/M  caret 
re 

HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF   THE   SUFFOLK   COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


117 


118 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


a  vertical  section  at  A  A,  Fig.  i.  B  B,  etc.,  are  the 
hot-water  boilers  with  i4-inch  connections/"  and  r  to 
the  20-inch  flow  and  return  mains  F  and  R  respect- 
ively, so  arranged  that  each  boiler  can  be  cut  out  at 
will  without  interfering  with  any  others  in  the  bat- 
tery. In  these  figures  b  b  are  the  steam  boilers,  with 
branches  E  E  to  a  main  supply  pipe  I,  T  is  a  flow-off 
tank,  and  P  is  one  of  two  Knowles  No.  4  pumps  for 
boiler  feed  and  house  and  fire  service,  which  are  so 
arranged  and  connected  as  to  be  interchangeable 
for  these  different  duties.  In  these  figures  s  s  are 
branches  to  the  large  flue  S  which  delivers  the  smoke 
to  the  brick  stacks  5  feet  and  5  feet  10  inches  in  size, 
and  100  feet  high.  F  is  a  heater  for  supplying  hot 
water  to  the  toilet-rooms,  etc.,  in  the  building.  C  is 
a  Jones  steam  trap,  D  is  a  No.  7  Korting  injector, 
double  tube,  front  lever  style,  and  H  is  a  damper 
regulator  for  the  steam  boilers. 

PART  II. — DETAILS   IN   THE  BOILER-ROOM,  AND  DIAGRAMS 
OF  FLOW  AND   RETURN   MAINS. 

THE  smoke  breeching  in  the  boiler-room  is  shown 
in  plan  and  elevation  in  Fig.  3,  s  s  representing  the 
branches  from  the  several  hot-water  boilers  to  the 
large  flue  S,  which  delivers  the  smoke  to  the  brick 
duct  leading  to  the  stacks  shown  in  Fig.  i.  Figure  4 
is  a  section  at  C  C,  Fig.  i.  Figure  5  is  a  section  at 
X  X.  Figure  6  is  a  section  at  D  D.  Figure  7  is  a 
section  at  F  F,  showing  the  manhole  entrance  to  the 
smoke  tunnel.  Figure  8  is  a  section  at  E.  Figure  9 
is  a  section  at  G  G,  and  Fig.  10  is  a  section  at  E  E. 
Figure  u  shows  the  details  of  construction  of  the 
smoke  breeching.  Figure  12  shows  the  expansion 
pedestal  Y  Y  of  the  return  drum.  Figure  13  shows 
the  different  methods  of  suspending  the  pipes  from 
the  iron  floor  beams  above.  Figure  14  shows  the  de- 
tails of  the  iron  manhole  frame  and  cones  shown  in 

Fig.  7- 

Figure  15  is  a  plan  of  the  flow  mains,  and  Fig.  16 
is  a  partial  plan  of  the  return  mains,  the  sizes  and 
location  of  branches,  risers,  valves,  etc.,  correspond- 
ing very  closely  to  the  flow  system  shown  in  Fig.  15. 
Here  the  connections  to  the  boilers  are  really  from 
the  under  side  and  would  be  hidden,  but  are  shown 
in  full  lines,  as  if  above,  to  avoid  confusion. 

PART  III. — PLANS  OF  BASEMENT  AND  FIRST  FLOORS. 

THE  locations  of  the  indirect  radiator  stacks,  the 
direct  radiators  and  the  register  risers,  together  with 
some  of  the  radiator  connections,  are  shown  in  Fig. 
17,  which  is  a  plan  of  the  basement.  The  "  second 
transverse  center  south  "  is  represented  by  H  H,  and 
the  "first  transverse  center  south"  by  I  I.  Here 
A  A,  B  B,  C  C,  D  D,  E  E,  F  F,  K  K,  and  G  G  are 
section  lines  from  which  detailed  elevations  will  be 
given  in  succeeding  articles.  J  J  is  the  "  first  trans- 
verse center  north,"  L  L  is  the  "  second  transverse 
center  north,"  M  M  is  the  "  center  of  north  entrance," 
N  N  is  the  "third  transverse  center  north,"  and 
O  O  is  the  main  longitudinal  axis  of  the  building. 

The  arrangement  of  the  first  floor  and  location  and 
sizes  of  radiators,  connecting  pipes,  registers  and 
flues  are  shown  on  the  plan,  Fig.  18.  The  upper 


floors  are  arranged  in  a  manner  substantially  similar 
to  this. 

PART  IV. — DETAILS  OF  RISER  LINES,  ACCELERATING  COIL 
AND  ARRANGEMENT  OF  AIR  DUCTS  IN  ROOM  24. 

,  AN  enlarged  plan  of  the  connections  and  radiators 
in  the  basement  at  riser  88,  Fig.  17,  is  shown  in  Fig. 
23.  Figure  22  is  a  section  at  E  E,  Fig.  23;  Fig.  20  is 
a  section  at  Y  Y,  Fig.  22,  and  Fig.  21  is  a  section  at 
F  F,  Figs.  20  and  23.  In  these  r  r  are  radiators,  and 
Da  and  D3  are  fresh-air  ducts  to  second  and  third 
floors  respectively. 

Figures  24  and  25  are  respectively  elevations  at  the 
foot  of  risers  27  and  51,  Fig.  17.  Figure  26  shows 
the  plans  and  elevations  of  the  air  ducts  in  room  24, 
Municipal  building,  Fig.  17.  Figure  27  shows  plan, 
elevation  and  support  of  the  accelerating  coil  in  the 
foot  of  the  vent  shaft  of  the  women's  prison.  Figure 
28  is  an  elevation,  looking  south,  and  Fig.  30  is  one 
looking  north  from  B  B,  Fig.  17. 

PART    V. — SECTIONS    AND    ELEVATIONS    OF    MAIN    PIPES, 
BRANCHES  AND  CONNECTIONS   IN   BASEMENT. 

A  PARTIAL  elevation  looking  north  from  A  A,  in 
Fig.  17,  is  given  in  Fig.  29;  it  shows  the  arrange- 
ment and  relative  positions  of  the  flow  and  return 
mains,  where  they  rise  from  the  tunnel.  In  this 
figure  r  is  a  radiator  stack.  An  elevation  looking 
north  from  C  C,  Fig.  17,  is  shown  in  Fig.  31.  In  this 
figure  r  r  r  are  radiators  tacks.  W  is  an  inlet  to  the 
fresh -air  shaft  S,  the  dampers  of  which,  D  D,  com- 
mand the  ducts  to  the  radiator  stacks.  An  elevation 
section  looking  west  at  D  D,  Fig.  17,  under  the  cells 
in  the  women's  prison,  is  shown  in  Fig.  32,  and  one 
looking  south  from  G  G  in  the  Municipal  building, 
Fig.  17,  is  shown  in  Fig.  33.  This  shows  the  eccen- 
tric joints  of  the  mains  and  the  manner  of  running 
branches  from  their  upper  sides,  which  are  also 
shown  in  side  view  in  Fig.  34.  This  figure  is  a  sec- 
tion and  elevation  through  the  lower  part  of  the  first- 
floor  cells  and  of  the  flow  and  return  mains  for  the 
men's  prison,  looking  south  from  K  K,  Fig.  17. 

PART  VI. — PLANS  AND  ELEVATIONS  OF  RADIATOR  STACKS 
AND  DETAILS  OF  REGISTERS,  LOCK  MECHANISM, 
DAMPER  AND  VALVE. 

AN  enlarged  plan  of  the  radiators,  air  chambers, 
ducts  and  pipe  mains  in  the  basement  at  riser  37,  Fig. 
17,  is  shown  in  Fig.  35.  A  vertical  section  at  E  E, 
Fig.  35,  given  in  Fig.  36,  makes  clear  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  fresh-air  duct  to  the  three  upper  stories. 
Figure  37  is  an  elevation  at  H  H,  Fig.  35,  correspond- 
ing to  Fig.  36.  Figure  38  is  a  vertical  cross-section 
at  C  C,  Fig.  35,  through  the  radiators  and  hot  and 
cold-air  chambers.  Figure  39  is  a  vertical  sec- 
tion and  elevation  at  G  G,  Fig.  35,  showing  the  de- 
tails of  connecting  the  branches  with  individual 
valves  to  the  flow  and  return  mains  in  the  tunnel 
below  the  basement  floor.  The  main  flow  and  return 
branches  B  B'  have  secondary  branches  b  b'  to  the 
risers  No.  37  which  serve  direct  radiators  on  the 
upper  floors.  D  D  are  dampers  controlling  the  fresh 
cold-air  supply;  C  is  the  cold  and  H  is  the  hot-air 
chamber;  A  is  the  basement  corridor;  F  a  galvan- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


119 


120 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


121 


122 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


ized-iron  rectangular  fresh-air  duct.  R  R,  etc  .  are 
registers,  in  the  face  of  which  a  handle  is  set  operat- 
ing crank  M,  which  through  rod  L  commands  regu- 
lating valve  V,  which  is  shown  in  position  to  exclude 
cold  and  admit  hot  air  through  port  F.  When,  how- 
ever, it  is  revolved  to  dotted  position  V  it  conversely 
excludes  the  hot  air  and  admits  cold  air  only. 

Figure  40  is  an  enlarged  elevation  of  a  part  of  the 
front  of  a  register  face  R,  Fig.  37,  and  the  mech- 
anism which  commands  through  valve  rod  L  the 
mixing  valve  V.  The  rod  M,  Fig.  41,  revolves  in 
bearings  B  B,  and  is  keyed  to  the  crank  A  and  lever 
N.  The  former  can  be  locked  at  any  position  on  arc 
C,  and  the  latter  is  connected  by  pivot  P  with  valve 
rod  I. 

Figure  42  shows  the  mechanism  by  which  crank  A 
is  automatically  locked  to  arc  C.  Bolt  B  is  set  in  a 
chamber  H  in  crank  A,  and  is  extended  in  the  posi- 
tion shown  by  spiral  spring  Q,  which  incloses  its 
spindle  E,  and  bears  on  crosshead  F.  There  is  a  slot 
J  to  allow  the  bolt  to  slip  by  pin  G,  which  carries  a 
cam  P,  playing  in  recess  I  of  bolt  B,  and  always  op- 
posed to  its  crosshead  F.  When  pin  G  is  turned  by 


key  N,  the  revolution  of  cam  P,  compressing  spring 
Q,  pushes  back  the  bolt  until  its  spindle  E  comes  to 
E',  and  B  is  disengaged  from  rack  C,  around  which 
the  crank  A  may  be  revoived  to  any  position,  still 
loosely  grasping  it  with  guides  D  D.  When  key  N 
is  removed,  the  spring  Q  is  released,  and  engages  the 
bolt  at  the  first  slot  in  the  rack. 

Figure  43  shows  the  details  of  mixing  valve  V,  Fig. 
36,  and  Fig.  44  shows  the  construction  of  damper  D, 
Fig.  36. 

FART  VII. — ASH  CAR,  OVERHEAD  ASH  TRACK,  CAR 
TROLLEY  AND  CAR  TURNTABLE. 

THE  ashes  from  the  boiler-room  are  moved  tnrough 
the  basement  corridor  and  delivered  to  the  scavenger 
in  wrought-iron  dump  cars  which  are  suspended  by 
trolleys  from  an  overhead  track,  shown  in  Fig.  17. 
This  car,  Fig.  45,  has  two  wheels  W  W,  upon  which 
it  can  be  rolled  along  the  boiler-room  floor,  and  its 
bail  B,  is  pivoted  upon  an  axis  A,  below  its  center  of 
gravity,  so  that  by  throwing  the  lock  D  to  the  position 
D',  it  will  automatically  revolve  and  empty  itself  into 
the  receiving  cart,  remaining  suspended  the  while 


w\mv\\\s\\^^^ 


HEATING  AND   VENTILATION   OF  THE   SUFFOLK   COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


by  link  C  from  hook  H  of  the  trolley  T,  Fig.  46, 
which  travels  upon  the  rails  R  R,  of  the  overhead 
track.  The  trolley  has  four  single-flanged  wheels, 
F  F  P  F,  and  a  forged  boss  B,  which  is  bored  to  give 
free  clearance  to  the  stem  S  of  the  hook  H.  This 
stem  is  tapped  to  fit  the  female  thread  in  the  hub  D 
of  handwheel  C,  and  hub  D  has  a  faced  bearing  at 


Z  Z  on  the  carrier  bar.  When,  therefore,  the  car  K, 
Fig.  45,  is  rolled  underneath  the  track  and  its  ring  C 
is  engaged  with  hook  H,  the  latter  is  screwed  up  by 
handwheel  C  until  it  lifts  the  car  to  a  sufficient 
height  above  the  floor  to  insure  clearance  and  permit 
it  to  be  run  off.  Stem  S  is  kept  from  turning  by  the 
spurs  G  G  engaging  in  the  keyway  O 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF  THE   SUFFOLK    COUNTY    COURT-HOUSE. 


5ec^  lonal  Elev<ation  H- 


124 


N\^\^^\\\^>C^^N\\\^\\\\\^^ 

ftq  36    Section  al  E  -E 

HEATING  AND   VENTILATION   OF   THE   SUFFOLK   COUNTY    COURT-HOUSE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


125 


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126 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 

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HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  THE  SUFFOLK  COUNTY  COURT-HOUSE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


127 


Horizontal  and  vertical  views  of  the  turntable, 
shown  in  Fig.  17,  are  indicated  by  Figs.  47  and  48. 
By  this  turntable  a  car  may  be  transferred  from  the 
rails  R  R  of  one  track  to  those  R'  R',  of  another  at 
right  angles  to  it.  The  horizontal  wheel  W  is  sus- 
pended from  a  vertical  axis  fixed  in  the  cast  plate  A 
so  as  to  turn  freely  and  engage  the  rails  R"  R", 
which  are  suspended  from  it  with  those  of  either  of  the 
tracks,  R  or  R'.  A  is  a  bearing  plate  to  prevent  the 
wheel  from  tipping,  and  C  C  are  friction  rollers.  The 
turntable  may  be  operated  from  the  floor  by  means 
of  the  rope  R  passing  over  guide  sheaves  S  S,  etc. 

PART  VIII. — DETAILS  OF  DIFFERENT  METHODS  OF  SUP- 
PORTING PIPES,  EXHAUST  HEAD,  EXPANSION  TANK, 
THERMOMETER,  WATER  GLASS  AND  HEATER. 

LARGE  pipes  are  suspended  from  the  ceiling  in  the 
manner  shown  in  Fig.  49,  the  object  sought  being 


opportunity  for  them  to  expand  freely  in  the  direc- 
tion of  their  length.  Large  mains  are  suspended 
from  the  ceiling  in  the  manner  shown  in  Fig.  50,  so 
that  they  are  free  to  move  in  two  directions  at 
right  angles  to  each  others.  Rigid  overhead  sus- 
pension of  pipes  from  3  to  5  inches  in  diameter  is 
accomplished  in  the  manner  shown  in  Fig.  51,  and 
Fig.  52  shows  the  manner  of  rigid  overhead  suspen- 
sion of  pipes  4  inches  in  diameter  and  less.  The 
details  of  the  clamp  which  supports  the  pipe  sus- 
pender from  the  lower  flange  of  a  rolled  I  beam  is 
shown  in  Fig.  53.  Figure  54  shows  the  loop  and 
bearing  plate  used  in  suspending  pipes  from  brick 
arches,  and  Fig.  55  shows  the  method  of  supporting 
large  pipes  on  the  floor,  so  as  to  enable  them  to 
move  freely  in  the  direction  of  their  lengths  and  at 
right  angles  thereto.  Figure  56  shows  the  method 
of  floor  support  for  all  pipes,  enabling  them  to  move 


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Detail  of 
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Half  Elevation.  Half  (Election.  iS>ide  Elevation.. 


Half  Section  atA-A. 


Half,  Plan  of  Top  Plate  with  portion  removed.  Half  Plan  showing  Pulley:; 

HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF   THE   SUFFOLK    COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE. 


128 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


freely  in  the  direction  of  their  length  only.  Figure 
57  shows  the  details  of  the  cast-iron  return  bend 
for  3-inch  radiator  coils.  Figure  58  shows  a  part  of 
the  checkered  cast-iron  floor  plate  covering  the  base- 
ment pipe  trench.  Figure  59  shows  the  details  of 
the  copper  exhaust  trap;  Fig.  60  the  wrought-iron 
expansion  tank;  Fig.  61  one  of  the  thermometers 
used;  Fig.  62  the  water  glass  on  one  of  the  main 
boilers,  and  Fig.  63  the  steam  heater. 

PART    IX. — ARRANGEMENT    OF    DIRECT    RADIATORS    AND 
DETAILS  O*   SCREENS,  DAMPERS,  ETC. 

FIGURE  64  is  a  vertical  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  65,  and 
shows  the  method  of  setting  radiators  R  at  the  base- 


ment  windows.  Figure  65  is  a  plan,  half  section  and 
half  elevation,  corresponding  to  Fig.  64,  Fresh  air 
is  admitted  from  outdoors,  underneath  the  window 
sill  at  S,  and  being  deflected  downwards  by  the  iron 
wall  C,  passes  through  damper  D,  and  up  through 
the  body  of  the  radiator,  escaping  into  the  room 
through  a  grating  G  in  the  upper  part  of  an  other- 
wise solid  cast-iron  panel  P. 

Figures  66  and  67  are  vertical  sections  through 
window  radiators  in  the  first  mezzanine  story.  The 
arrangement  is  similar  to  that  shown  in  Figs.  64  and 
65,  and  the  reference  letters  have  the  same  signifi- 
cance as  in  those  figures.  Figure  68  is  a  vertical 
section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  69,  and  shows  the  arrangement 
of  a  long  radiator  set  close  to  the  cast-iron  front 
of  the  second  mezzanine  story.  Outside  air  enters 
through  perforations  in  the  cast-iron  window  sill 
T,  passes  down  behind  screen  C,  through  damper 
D  and  after  being  warmed  in  radiator  R  escapes 
through  grating  G.  Figure  69  is  a  plan  in  section 
and  elevation  corresponding  to  Fig.  68. 

Figure  70  is  a  vertical  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  71,  and 
Fig.  71  is  a  horizontal  section  at  X  X,  Fig.  70.  Cold 
external  air  enters  freely  through  cast-iron  grating 
A,  passes  through  wall  duct  F  and  register  B  to 
radiator  R  and  is  delivered  to  the  room  through 
open  grating  G  in  the  cast-iron  panel  P.  The  flat 
radiator  is  set  in  a  shallow  alcove  or  wall  recess  W 
so  that  its  front  casing  is  within  the  inside  wall  line. 

Figures  72  and  73  are  respectively  vertical  and 
horizontal  sections,  showing  an  arrangement  which 
is  similar  except  in  admitting  the  fresh  air  under- 
neath the  radiator.  The  reference  letters  here  have 
the  same  significance  as  before.  Figure  74  is  a  ver- 
tical section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  75,  and  shows  the  arrange- 
ment of  a  slightly  projecting  window  radiator  on  the 
second  mezzanine  floor.  Figure  76  is  an  elevation  £t 
Y  Y,  Fig.  74,  and  Fig.  75  is  a  corresponding  plan  in 


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HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF  THE   SUFFOLK   COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


129 


130 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


'9-Z 


o 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


131 


132 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


elevation  and  section.  V  V  are  the  handles  of  the 
hot-water  flow  and  return  valves,  and  H  is  the 
handle  of  the  damper  rod  K.  The  other  reference 
letters  have  the  same  significance  as  in  the  preceding 
figures.  Some  of  these  radiators  do  not  receive  a 
direct  supply  of  cold  external  air.  In  such  cases 
inlet  S  and  damper  D  are  omitted,  and  the  lower 
parts  of  panels  P  have  gratings  similar  to  G,  thus 
admitting  the  coolest  interior  air  and  keeping  up  a 
continued  circulation. 

Figure  77  is  a  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  78,  and  shows 
the  setting  of  recessed  window  radiators  between 
court-room  pavilions.  Figure  78  is  a  corresponding 
horizontal  view,  and  the  reference  letters  have  the 
same  significance  as  in  preceding  figures.  Figure  79 
is  a  detail  of  cast  screen  G,  Fig.  77,  for  window 
breast.  Figure  80  is  a  detail  of  the  non-conducting 
apron  L,  Fig.  77.  Figure  81  shows  the  detail  of 
damper  rod  K  and  handle  H,  Fig.  77,  and  its 
escutcheon.  Figure  82  shows  the  construction  and 
operation  of  cast-iron  damper  D,  Fig.  77. 


PART  X. — RADIATOR  CASES  AND    SMOKESTACKS. 

FIGURE  83  shows  the  construction  of  one  of  the  gal- 
vanized-iron  cases  in  which  the  third-floor  radiators 
are  set.  The  case  D  is  made  of  sheet  iron  riveted  to 


•                                e 

[___/^ 

\o 

L 

\B 
\         ?- 

Tj 

3 

jf 

i  — 

HALF  PLAN A-A       HALF  PLAN  B-B 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF   THE   SUFFOLK   COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


133 


134 


THE  ENGINEERING    RECORD'S 


angle  iron  corner  pieces,  and  serves  as  a  tight  hood 
inclosing  the  radiator  upon  all  sides.  Cold  air  re- 
ceived through  the  outside  grating  A  and  wall  flue  F 
is  admitted  through  the  register  B,  which  is  operated 
by  the  rod  R  and  lock  handle  H  (illustrated  in  Fig. 
81).  After  passing  through  the  radiator  the  air  is 
delivered  into  the  room  through  the  cast-iron 
grating  C. 

Figure  84  is  a  vertical  section  of  one  of  the  main 
smokestacks  which  has  brick  walls  faced  with  stone 
and  contains  a  wrought-iron  cylindrical  smokestack 
around  which  is  a  space  into  which  ventilation  ducts 
open  and  have  their  discharge  promoted  by  the  ac- 
celerating effect  of  the  radiation  of  heat  from  the 
smokestack. 

Figure  85  is  a  section  at  the  foot  of  the  stack, 
showing  the  arrangement  of  main  steam  pipe  P  be- 
neath it.  Figure  89  is  a  vertical  section  at  right 
angles  to  Fig.  85,  showing  the  horizontal  main  smoke 


flG.84 


flue.  Figures  86,  87,  and  88  are  respectively  hori- 
zontal sections  at  B  B,  A  A,  and  E  E;  F  is  a  venti- 
lation flue  and  G  is  a  soot  door. 

Figure  90  is  a  vertical  section  of  another  smoke- 
stack of  similar  construction  and  Fig.  91  is  a  cor- 
responding horizontal  section.  In  this  case  the 
double  walls  are  both  of  brick  up  to  near  the  roof 
line,  beyond  which  a  3o-foot  iron  cylinder  forms  the 
continuation  of  the  smoke  flue  and  leaves  a  larger 
space  between  it  and  the  outside  walls.  Below  the 
upper  ceiling  this  space  is  not  utilized,  but  above  it 
it  serves  as  a  discharge  for  vent  flues. 

PART  XI. — VENTILATION  DUCTS  IN  THE  ATTIC  AND 
VENTILATING  CHIMNEYS  IN  THE  MEN'S  AND 
WOMEN'S  PRISONS. 

FIGURE  92  is  a  roof  plan  showing  the  location  of 
ventilating  ducts  in  the  attic  and  their  delivery  to 


pG.88 
THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 


flQ.91 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   OF   THE   SUFFOLK   COUNTY   COURT-HOUSE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


135 


f-<3 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 


HEATING    AND    VENTILATION    OF    THE    SUFFOLK    COUNTY    COURT-HOUSE. 


small  chimneys  and  through  large  main  ducts  in  the 
center  to  the  dome,  which  is  not  here  shown.  At  the 
right  of  the  figure  are  shown  the  large  square  and 
circular  ventilating  chimneys  which  serve  the  men's 
and  women's  prisons  respectively. 

Figure  93  is  a  section  of  the  base  of  one  of  the  reg- 
ular small  ventilation  chimneys.  Figure  94  is  a  hor- 
izontal section  at  a  a,  Fig.  95,  through  the  ventila- 
ting chimney  of  the  women's  prison.  Figures  95  and 
96  are  vertical  sections  atffandee  respectively, 
Fig.  94.  The  vent  flue  F  terminates  in  a  lateral 
branch  C  from  which  the  air  escapes  through  a  cop- 


per duct  A  and  passes  out  of  the  cylindrical  head  into 
the  tower  T  and  thence  through  louvers  into  the 
open  air.  D  is  a  protecting  cap  and  E  E,  etc.,  are 
2^-inch  braces.  H  is  a  4-inch  steam  exhaust  pipe 
running  to  a  roof  trap  and  intended  to  promote  circu- 
lation in  the  duct  F;  K  is  a  ij^-inch  drip  pipe. 

Figure  97  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  ventilating 
chimney  for  the  men's  prison,  and  Fig.  98  is  a  cor- 
responding section  at  right  angles  to  Fig.  97.  F  F 
are  foul-air  flues,  C  is  an  accelerating  coil  of  14  lines 
of  i^-inch  pipes,  F  is  a  5-inch  and  E  is  a  i^f-inch 
pipe  and  G  is  an  exhaust  head. 


HEATING   OF  HOSPITALS. 


HOT-BLAST  HEATING  OF  ST.  LUKE'S  HOS- 
PITAL, ST.  PAUL,  MINN. 

THE  building  known  as  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  at  St. 
Paul,  Minn.,  was  designed  by  Mr.  Clarence  H.  John- 
ston, architect,  of  St.  Paul,  while  the  Huyett  & 
Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Detroit,  Mich., 
were  the  designers  of  the  heating  and  ventilating 
plant,  and  to  them  we  are  indebted  for  data  from 
which  this  description  was  prepared. 

The  building  is  built  of  brick  and  stone  and  stands 
in  a  very  exposed  quarter.  It  is  150x50  feet  on  the 
ground  and  three  stories  high  above  the  base- 
ment. Each  story  is  13  feet  and  the  basement  is  n 
feet  high.  The  entire  heating  and  ventilating  appa- 
ratus, which  consists  of  a  blower  system,  is  located 
in  a  sub-basement,  which  is  10  feet  high. 


Manufacturing  Company's  hot-blast  apparatus,  con- 
sisting of  a  bank  of  steam  coils,  encased  by  a  jacket 
of  sheet  steel  and  having  attached  to  one  end  a  Smith 
steel  disk  fan  72  inches  in  diameter.,  which  forces 
cold  air  against  the  surfaces  of  the  steam  coils.  In 
addition  to  this  bank  of  steam  coils  is  a  tempering 
coil  containing  690  square  feet  of  surface  in  the 
fresh-air  inlet  on  the  second  floor,  Fig.  4.  This  coil 
is  designed  to  raise  the  temperature  of  the  air  to 
about  60  degrees  in  severe  weather,  and  is  sufficient 
to  heat  the  entire  building  in  mild  spring  weather. 

Between  the  fan  and  coils,  in  the  apparatus,  is  an 
opening  in  the  base  of  the  same  so  that  the  tempered 
air,  as  it  comes  from  the  fan,  can  be  forced  under  and 
past  the  coils  and  into  the  lower,  or  cold-air,  conduit. 
The  condensation  from  the  coils  is  returned  to  the 


HEATING  OF   ST.   LUKE  S  HOSPITAL,   ST.   PAUL,   MINN. 


Figure  i  is  a  plan  of  the  sub-basement,  Fig.  2  of 
the  basement,  Fig.  3  of  the  first  story,  Fig.  4  of  the 
second  story,  Fig.  5  of  the  third  story,  and  Fig.  6  a 
side  elevation  (part  in  section)  of  the  heater,  showing 
a  portion  of  the  fresh-air  shaft,  how  cold  air  passes 
the  coils  or  through  them,  and  how  the  conduits  are 
attached  to  convey  hot  and  cold  air. 

Figure  7  is  a  section  through  foul-air  shaft  and 
chamber  showing  the  position  of  the  ventilating  fan 
and  relative  positions  of  the  hot  and  cold-air  conduits 
and  foul-air  exhaust  conduit.  Figure  8  is  an  eleva- 
tion of  the  fresh-air  and  ventilating  risers,  showing 
how  fresh  air  is  introduced  and  foul  air  exhausted 
from  the  various  rooms  or  apartments. 

The  plant  is  designed  to  heat  the  building  to  70° 
Fahr.  when  outside  temperature  is  40  degrees  below 
zero.  This  is  accomplished  by  a  Huyett  &  Smith 


boiler  with  one  Morehead  return  steam  trap  and 
the  condensation  from  the  radiators  with  another. 
There  is  also  a  Worthington  boiler  feed  pump  4^"x 
2^"x4"  and  a  receiving  tank  so  the  water  can  be  re- 
turned by  this  means  if  found  desirable  or  necessary. 
All  the  halls,  corridors,  small  wards  which  have  an 
extraordinary  exposure,  autopsy-room,  kitchens,  laun- 
dry, and  nurses'  room  are  provided  with  direct  radi- 
ation; the  total  surface  in  radiation  being  1,585 
square  feet.  In  some  instances  the  direct  radiation 
is  in  addition  to  the  other  system,  especially  in  the 
wards.  The  fresh  air  is  obtained  through  an  open- 
ing in  the  back  wall  of  the  second  story,  and  is  con- 
veyed to  the  fan  by  a  shaft  ending  at  the  ceiling  of 
the  sub-basement  alongside  the  heater  and  fan. 
After  passing  through  the  coils  the  air  is  conveyed 
to  the  various  parts  of  the  building  by  galvanized- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


137 


t38 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


iron  conduits.     All  the  risers  or  flues  throughout  the 
building  are  of  galvanized  iron. 

The  hot-air  and  vent  flues  are  of  the  same  size  for 
each  room.  Those  leading  to  the  large  ward-rooms 
are  16x24  inches,  while  the  ducts  to  the  medium-sized 
wards  (Fig.  4)  and  the  operating  and  consulting 
rooms  (Fig.  5)  are  12x16  inches. 


w'm^^/^/^f^///^}. 

FIG.  7.  FIG.  8. 


ff,  OUTLET 

J  ' 
^  INLET 

EERINC 

'• 

O, 

To  all  other  rooms,  including  small  wards,  nurses' 
rooms,  servants'  rooms,  and  matrons'  office,  and 
toilet-rooms,  the  ducts  are  each  10x10  inches.  At  the 
base  of  the  fresh-air  flues,  the  hot  and  cold-air  con- 
duits connect  as  shown  by  Fig.  8;  at  the  point  of  con- 
nection are  dampers  controlled  by  the  Johnson  Elec- 
tric Service  Company's  regulator,  which  is  not  to  al- 
low the  temperature  of  the  air  to  rise  above  70  de- 
grees, but  does  not  cut  off  the  supply  of  fresh  air  to 
any  part  of  the  building.  Each  patient  in  all  the 
wards  is  provided  with  a  constant  supply  of  45  cubic 
feet  of  fresh  air  per  minute.  In  all  other  parts  of 
the  building  the  air  is  designed  to  be  changed  once 
in  every  15  minutes. 

The  fresh-air  inlets  are  8  feet  above  the  floor,  while 
the  vents  are  at  the  floor,  and  in  most  instances  di- 
rectly under  the  inlets.  The  air  is  blown  towards  the 
coldest  walls  and  traverses  back  across  the  floor  to 
the  vent  flue. 

The  building  is  ventilated  by  a  steel  disk  fan  60 
inches  in  diameter.  This  fan  is  located  in  the  sub- 
basement  at  the  base  of  a  large  vent  stack,  which  ex- 
tends several  feet  above  the  highest  point  of  the 
roof.  All  the  vents  throughout  the  building  are  car- 
ried down  to  the  sub-basement  and  are  attached  to 
the  foul-air  conduit.  The  ventilating  fan  draws  the 
foul  air  out  of  this  conduit  and  discharges  it  into 'the 
vent  stack. 

Steam  for  power  and  heat  is  supplied  by  two  60 
horse-power,  horizontal,  multitubular  boilers.  The 
plenum  fan  has  a  capacity  to  deliver  56,000  cubic 
feet  of  air  per  minute  and  the  exhaust  fan  a  capacity 
of  40,000  cubic  feet.  The  exhaust  fan  is  smaller  than 
the  plenum  fan,  so  that  a  slight  outward  pressure 
can  be  maintained  by  the  latter,  to  prevent  drafts 
and  to  counteract  wind  pressures  from  the  outside. 
The  building  contains  about  364,000  cubic  feet  of 
space  to  be  supplied  with  fresh  air  by  the  plenum 


fan;  thus  a  complete  change  of  air  can  be  effected 
every  6>£  minutes,  though  this  is  rarely  done,  as  the 
fan  is  not  usually  run  at  more  than  half  its  specified 
speed. 

These  fans  are  driven  by  belts  from  a  counter- 
shaft, which  in  turn  is  driven  by  a  yxio-inch  horizon- 
tal automatic  engine.  On  the  accompanying  plans 
N  designates  nurses'  room,  S  servants'  room,  and  W 
ward. 

The  past  winter  was  the  second  winter  of  service 
for  this  plant,  and  it  is  said  to  have  given  excellent 
satisfaction. 

The  scale  was  omitted  in  the  drawing,  but  Fig.  i 
is  on  a  scale  of  26  feet  to  the  inch,  while  Figs.  2,  3, 
4,  and  5  are  on  a  scale  of  38  feet  to  the  inch. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  OF  A  RECEP- 
TION HOSPITAL. 

THE  accompanying  plans  show  the  building 
erected  by  the  city  of  New  York  at  the  foot  of  Six- 
teenth Street,  East  River,  to  serve  as  a  reception 
hospital  for  patients  with  contagious  diseases,  where 
-they  are  confined  until  they  can  be  taken  to  the 
Wards  Island  Hospital.  The  building  was  designed 
by  Messrs.  Jackson  &  Warner,  engineers  and  archi- 
tects, of  New  York,  while  Baker,  Smith  &  Co.  were 
the  contractors  for  the  heating  plant. 

The  hospital  is  in  two  parts,  as  is  shown  by  Fig.  i, 
one  containing  12  wards,  each  14x24  feet  on  the 
ground  by  16  feet  in  height.  The  other  building 
contains  two  wards,  each  about  2QX24  feet. 

The  hospital  is  entirely  fireproof  and  the  wards 
are  separated  by  a  fireproof  wall  running  up  for  a 


PLAN  OF  BOILER  HOUSE! 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


139 


140 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


distance  of  12  feet.  The  side  walls  are  lined  on  the 
inside  with  enameled  brick  so  that  they  can  be 
washed  down  with  a  hose. 

The  building  is  warmed  and  ventilated  partly  by  a 
blower  system  and  partly  by  direct  radiation.  The 
boilers  and  fan  engine,  etc.,  are  located  in  a  sepa- 
rate building  a  few  feet  distant  from  the  hospital 
proper.  Steam  for  warming  the  building  and  driving 
the  fan  engine  and  pumps  is  generated  in  a  100- 
horse-power  return-tubular  boiler.  The  boiler  is  6 
feet  in  diameter,  16  feet  long,  and  contains  132  3- 
inch  tubes.  The  air  is  warmed  and  forced  into  the 
hospital  buildings  by  a  Sturtevant  hot-blast  appa- 
ratus containing  1,000  square  feet  of  heating  surface 
and  a  4}£x6^-foot  fan  driven  by  a  Sturtevant  ver- 
tical engine.  It  is  estimated  that  the  fan  is  capable 
of  delivering  15,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per  minute  when 
making  200  revolutions  in  the  same  length  of  time. 
The  warmed  air  is  distributed  by  means  of  brick 
ducts,  shown  in  Fig.  3,  resting  upon  concrete  founda- 
tions. The  duct  is  28x30  inches  as  it  leaves  the 
boiler-house.  Its  walls  are  8  inches  in  thickness, 
and  the  foundations  are  6  inches  thick  and  of  such  a 
width  as  to  extend  for  6  inches  beyond  the  outer 
edge  of  the  duct.  The  duct  is  lined  with  cement 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  thick,  while  the  outside  was 
given  a  coat  of  Trinidad  asphaltum  applied  hot. 
After  entering  the  hospital  the  duct  divides  into  two 
branches,  as  shown  by  Fig.  3.  Circular  galvanized- 
iron  flues  lead  from  the  arched  top  of  the  brick  ducts 
to  specially  designed  cast-iron  wall  frames  (see  Fig. 
4),  which  terminate  in  registers  of  two  sizes,  either 
9x16  inches  or  9x9  inches  in  area.  Each  of  the 
smaller  wards  is  provided  with  a  closet  and  sink, 
while  each  is  supplied  with  air  by  four  gxi6-inch 
registers  and  one  9x9  inches  in  size.  A  gxg-inch  vent 
draws  off  the  impure  air  from  the  closet,  while  each 
pair  of  adjacent  wards  is  ventilated  by  a  circular 
vent  in  the  ceiling  30  inches  in  diameter.  Each  ward 
is  also  supplied  with  three  direct  radiators  contain- 
ing 8,  12,  and  72  square  feet  of  radiating  surface. 
Each  of  the  larger  wards,  of  which  there  are  two, 
contains  two  gxi6-inch,  one  9xi2-inch,  and  three  9x9- 
inch  supply  ducts,  with  five  radiators  containing  176 
square  feet  of  surface  in  all.  The  vent  shaft  for 
each  of  these  wards  is  30  inches  in  diameter. 

The  steam  for  the  direct  radiators  leaves  the 
boiler-room  through  a  5-inch  main,  and  the  con- 
densed water  is  carried  back  to  a  Kieley  automatic 
pump  governor  in  the  boiler-room.  This  is  con- 
nected  to  a  4^"x2^"x4"  Worthington  duplex  pump, 
which  returns  the  water  to  the  boiler.  A  feed 
pump  supplies  the  boiler  with  water  of  an  amount 
equal  to  that  used  by  the  fan  engine.  A  tank  con- 
taining a  steam  coil  is  provided  to  supply  the  hos- 
pital with  hot  water.  The  condensation  from  the 
coil  is  discharged  into  the  blow-off  pipe  of  the 
boilers  outside  of  the  blow-off  cock  by  a  Kieley  steam 
trap,  the  blow-off  pipe  being  extended  to  the  river. 

The  steam  main  supplying  the  direct  radiators 
that  run  in  the  brick  ducts  are  pitched  so  that  the 
condensation  runs  to  the  further  end  from  the  boilers, 
where  it  is  also  taken  off  by  a  trap.  The  return  is 
pitched  so  that  it  drops  as  it  nears  the  boiler. 


HOT- WATER  HEATING  AT  SANFORD  HALL. 

PART  I. — DESCRIPTION,  GENERAL   PLANS,  AND  SECTION. 

SANFORD  HALL,  Flushing,  L.  I  ,  is  a  large  brick 
building,  mainly  two  stories  in  height,  the  central 
part  of  which  was  originally  a  private  residence,  but 
has  for  many  years  been  used  as  an  insane  asylum, 
and  has  been  added  to  from  time  to  time,  chiefly,  as 
occasion  required  additional  separate  rooms  for 
patients.  At  first  individual  stoves  and  fireplaces 
were  used  throughout  for  heating  and  ventilating, 
then  hot-air  furnaces  were  provided  to  warm  most  of 
the  building,  and  within  a  few  months  the  necessity 
of  heating  a  large  new  wing  has  occasioned  the 
adoption  of  a  complete  uniform  system  of  hot-water 
heating,  which  has  been  designed  and  executed  by 
the  Blackmore  Heating  Company,  of  New  York. 
Two  large  Richardson  &  Boynton  Company's  ' '  Per- 
fect "  heaters  were  set  at  convenient  positions  (about 
49  feet  apart)  in  the  basement,  and  their  main  flow 
and  return  pipes,  carried  along  the  ceiling,  were  con- 
nected together  so  as  to  permit  free  circulation  be- 
tween them.  Auxiliary  return  pipes,  which  were 
necessarily  carried  below  the  level  of  the  boilers, 
were  not  connected  together. 

Figure  i  is  a  basement  plan  showing  the  sizes  and 
positions  of  nearly  all  the  horizontal  flow  and  return 
pipes,  the  former  being  indicated  by  full  and  the 

latter  by  lines  broken  with  one  dot,  thus  — — 

In  the  men's  wing  A,  and  in  wing  B,  the  horizontal 
flow  pipe  is  specially  arranged  to  be  in  the  tipper 
story,  and  in  the  uncompleted  women's  part  C,  the 
work  is  not  yet  executed,  so  the  pipes  do  not  appear 
on  this  plan.  H  H  are  the  heaters,  and  D  and  E  the 
circulation  pipes  which  connect  them.  F  G  and 
G  are  coils  for  indirect  stacks  which  heat  the  main 
entrance  ball  and  a  reception-room,  private  office, 
etc.  Stack  F  is  placed  in  the  brick  chamber  of  an 
old  hot-air  furnace.  The  rest  of  the  heating  system 
is  composed  entirely  of  direct  radiators,  chiefly  of 
the  Bartlett-Hay  ward  and  Detroit  patterns.  Figure 
2  is  a  plan  of  the  second  floor,  and  Fig.  3  ot  the  third 
floor.  Figure  4  is  a  partial  section  through  the  build- 
ing (not  exact  in  scale  or  positions,  but  intended  as  a 
sketch  diagram  to  illustrate  the  system  and  arrange- 
ment), showing  the  method  of  running  horizontal 
mains,  risers,  and  branches  to  the  direct  radiators 
in  different  parts  of  the  building.  H  is  one  of  the 
boilers  connected  with  the  other  boiler  by  circulation 
pipes  D  E  (see  Fig.  i),  and  having  a  flow  main  I, 
from  which  risers  L  L  supply  the  radiators  of  the 
main  part  of  the  building.  Main  I  rises  by  vertical 
branch  J  to  the  top  of  the  wing,  along  which  it  ex- 
tends horizontally  at  K  as  far  as  possible  above  the 
upper  floor  radiators,  so  as  to  carry  the  pipe  out  of 
the  way  on  the  ceiling,  and  because  it  was  thought 
that  the  radiation  from  the  small  supply  branches  M 
M,  etc.,  being  much  greater  than  from  the  single 
large  main  J,  would  cause  sufficient  difference  in  the 
densities  of  their  .respective  water  columns  to  ma- 
terially promote  the  circulation.  The  returns  are 
taken,  in  the  wing  through  pipes  N  N,  etc.,  to  main 
O,  which  drops  about  5  feet  to  connect  with  main  P, 
which  receives  returns  from  the  basement  radiators 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE, 


141 


HOT-WATER   HEATING  AT   SANFORD   HALL,  FLUSHING,  N.  Y. 


143 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  AT   SANFORD   HALL.  FLUSHING,  N.  Y. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


143 


only.  These  radiators  are  supplied  on  the  same 
principle  as  those  in  the  wing,  from  a  branch  Q 
taken  at  R  from  riser  J.  In  this  case  the  circulation 
would  have  been  essentially  the  same  if  Q  had  been 
connected  at  S,  or  would  have  been  accelerated  if  Q 
had  been  placed  at  the  level  of  R,  where  advantage 
would  have  been  taken  of  the  less  radiation  from  the 
single  large  pipe  J  than  from  the  small  pipes  T  T. 


etc.  In  this  case  the  small  pipes  would  also  have 
been  longer,  but  it  was  determined  not  to  allow  them 
to  appear,  except  in  the  basement.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  all  of  the  supply  branches,  L,  M,  etc.,  are  con- 
tinuous straight  lines  from  the  main  to  the  last  radi- 
ator, being  connected  to  the  intermediate  radiators 
by  side  branches,  thus  giving  an  independent  supply 
to  each  one,  and  the  returns  are  similarly  arranged. 
An  air  pipe  V  is  connected  to  the  highest  point  of 
main  K,  and  if  it  collects  water  it  may  be  drawn  off 
at  W  at  intervals.  U  is  a  ^  valve  controlling  the  sys- 
tem in  the  wing. 


//////•'  '/•'/. '////////////. 

HOT-WATER   HEATING  AT   SANFORD  HALL. 


144 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


PART     II. —  ARRANGEMENT     OF     HEATERS,     CONNECTIONS 
OF   RADIATORS,    AND   GENERAL   DATA. 

FIGURE  5  shows  the  connections  of  the  No.  31 
Richardson  &  Boynton  "Perfect"  heaters,  each 
having  a  fire-chamber  area  of  about  1,300  square 
inches.  To  secure  necessary  head  room,  the  heaters 
were  placed  in  pits  V  V.  Ordinarily  both  heaters 
are  used  together,  free  circulation  between  them 
being  maintained  through  pipes  D  and  E  (see  Fig.  i), 
but  either  one  can  be  cut  out  by  simply  closing  its 
main  flow  and  return  valves  I  and  L,  and  the  other 
will  operate  the  whole  system,  though  it  is  not  in- 
tended to  be  adequate  for  very- cold  weather.  P,  J, 
and  K  are  separate  returns  from  the  men's  wing,  and 
from  the  indirect  stacks  F  and  G,  Fig.  i.  If  valves 
G  G,  N  N,  and  U,  Fig.  4,  are  closed,  only  the  main 
part  of  the  building  will  be  heated,  and  by  proper 
manipulation  of  the  valves  any  section  of  the  build- 
ing may  be  cut  off,  and  the  rest  heated,  or  vice 
versa,  S  S  and  R  R,  etc.,  are  return  and  flow  pipes 
for  different  parts  of  the  house,  from  which  vertical 
branches  O  and  M,  etc. ,  serve  the  groups  of  radiators, 
which  are  in  general  placed  in  the  same  vertical 
lines.  T  T  are  smoke  flues. 

Figures  6  and  7  show  slightly  different  counections 
ot  the  upper  floor  radiators  in  the  men's  wing  A, 
Fig.  i.  Figure  8  shows  the  connection  of  the  lower 
floor  radiators  in  the  same  wing.  Figure  9  shows 
the  valves  A,  Figs.  6,  7,  and  8,  which  are  operated 
by  a  key  B,  the  stem  being  protected  by  a  long 
sleeve  D,  specially  designed  to  prevent  the  patients 
from  meddling  with  the  heat.  There  are  altogether 
£4  direct  radiators  with  a  total  surface  of  6,000  square 
feet,  which  are  intended  to  heat  about  250,000  cubic 
feet  of  air  to  an  average  temperature  of  70  degrees, 
with  a  possible  outside  temperature  of  o  degrees. 
Most  of  the  radiators  were  placed  in  private  rooms 
12  or  14  feet  square.  The  radiators  in  the  two  in- 
direct stacks  each  contained  900  square  feet,  and  are 
designed  to  heat  about  30,000  cubic  feet  of  air. 

The  laundry,  dry-room,  and  servants'  quarters  are 
in  a  detached  building,  which  is  provided  with  an 
independent  hot-water  supply  and  heating  system. 
Figure  10  is  a  plan  of  the  lower  floor  of  the  laundry 
house,  about  60x40  feet  in  size,  and  shows  also  the 
pipe  lines  on  its  ceiling.  Figure  n  is  a  plan  of  the 
second  floor,  and  Fig.  12  is  a  partial  section  at  Z  Z, 
Figs.  10  and  n,  showing  connection  of  furnace  and 
boiler.  In  this  F  is  a  brick  furnace,  4  feet"  8  inches 
square,  with  a  cylindrical  fire-box  containing  a  2- 
inch  iron  extra  heavy  spiral  coil  C,  in  which  the 
water  is  heated  and  rises  to  bedroom  radiators  R  R 
and  wall  coils  W  W,  the  latter  each  35  feet  long  and 
containing  10  i>£-inch  pipes.  The  branches  are  also 
connected  with  an  8o-gallon  laundry  boiler  D,  which 
receives  cold-water  supply  for  the  system  through 
pipe  E,  and  delivers  hot  water  to  the  fixtures  through 
pipe  H. 

The  work  was  adapted  to  the  existing  features  and 
conditions  of  the  old  .construction  and  arrangement, 
and  was  consequently  done  at  some  disadvantage, 
but  is  said  to  be  satisfactory  and  efficient.  The  con- 
tract price  was  about  $8,000. 


HEATING    AND    VENTILATION    IN  THE 

JOHNS    HOPKINS    HOSPITAL, 

BALTIMORE,  MD. 

PART  I. — ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  HOSPITAL,  MAP,  AR- 
RANGEMENT AND  CONSTRUCTION  OF  BUILDINGS,  GEN- 
ERAL DESCRIPTION  OF  HEATING  AND  VENTILATING 
SYSTEMS,  THEIR  OPERATION  AND  RESULTS. 

THE  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital  has  been  established 
and  maintained  from  the  income  of  an  endowment 
of  about  three  million  dollars  given  by  Johns  Hop- 
kins, in  1873,  and  since  controlled  by  a  Board  of 
Trustees.  The  hospital  is  situated  on  a  14  acre  plot 
of  ground  on  top  of  a  hill,  about  100  feet  above  mean 
tide  in  Chesapeake  Bay,  in  the  heart  of  the  city  of 
Baltimore,  Md.  The  institution  is  intended  to  ulti- 
mately provide  for  400  patients,  and  to  afford  a 
training  school  for  female  nurses  and  for  the  medical 
college  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University. 

The  Board  of  Trustees  advised  concerning  the 
design,  construction,  management  and  operation  of 
the  hospital  with  the  following  physicians:  Dr. 
Norton  Folsom,  of  Boston;  Dr.  Stephen  Smith,  of 
New  York;  Dr.  Caspar  Morris,  of  Philadelphia;  Dr. 
Joseph  Jones,  of  New  Orleans;  and  Dr.  John  S.  Bil, 
lings,  U.  S.  A. 

The  external  designs  of  the  buildings  were  fur- 
nished by  the  architects  Cabot  &  Chandler,  of  Boston, 
and  the  heating,  ventilating  aad  plumbing  systems 
were  designed  and  installed  by  Bartlett,  Hayward 
&  Co.,  of  Baltimore,  Md. 


1U 


WOLFE     ST. 


BROXXDWAV 


At  the  formal  opening  of  the  hospital,  May  7,  1889, 
its  history,  construction  and  conditions  were  briefly 
presented  in  an  address  by  Dr.  John  S.  Billings, 
Medical  Adviser  to  President  Francis  T.  King,  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees,  and  to  the  Building  Committee, 
and  this  was  subsequently  followed  by  an  elaborate 
report  of  the  construction  systems  and  appliances, 
with  general  descriptions  and  illustrations.  From 
this  address  and  report  we  shall  quote  most  of  the 
general  description,  and  prepare  general  illustrations, 
accompanied  by  special  features  and  details,  de- 
scribed and  illustrated  from  notes  and  sketches 
recently  made  at  the  hospital  by  us. 

Figure  i  is  a  general  map  of  the  hospital  grounds 
and  buildings.  A  is  the  administration  building;  X, 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


145 


apothecaries'  building;  C,  male  pay-ward;  B,  female 
pay-ward;  N,  nurses'  home;  K,  kitchen;  Y,  bath- 
house; D  E,  octagon  ward;  F,  common  wards;  I, 
isolating  ward;  U.  amphitheater;  O,  dispensary;  R, 
pathological  building;  and  L,  laundry. 

In  addition  to  these  buildings  now  erected  and  in 
use,  the  original  complete  plan  provides  for  a  row  of 
five  wards  on  the  south  side,  opposite  to  and  corres- 
ponding with  the  octagon,  common,  and  isolating 
wards  now  constructed  on  the  north,  thus  partially 
inclosing  the  large  central  lawn  or  garden.  The 
original  plan  also  provides  for  the  erection  of  a  large 
greenhouse  on  the  south  front,  midway  between  the 
laundry  and  nurses'  home.  The  open  space  on  the 
east,  fronting  on  Wolfe  Street,  is  reserved  for  tents 
or  temporary  wooden  buildings,  in  case  of  the  out- 
break of  an  eoidemic.  The  buildings  intended  for 


administrative  purposes  are  of  a  size  suited  to  the 
original  complete  plan,  and  will  be  ample  when  all 
the  wards  are  erected. 

All  the  buildings  except  the  gate  lodge,  the  patho- 
logical laboratory,  the  laundry,  and  the  stable,  are 
connected  by  a  covered  corridor  T,  as  shown  in  Figs, 
i  and  2.  The  floor  of  this  corridor  is  at  the  uniform 
level  of  114  feet  above  mean  tide,  being  the  level  of 
the  main  floors  of  the  administration  and  apothe- 
caries' building,  the  kitchen,  nurses'  home  and 
bathhouse.  The  top  of  this  corridor  is  nearly  flat, 
forming  an  open  terrace  walk  at  the  uniform  level 
of  124  feet  above  mean  tide,  being  the  level  of  the 
ward  floors.  This  arrangement  permits  a  perfectly 
free  circulation  of  air  between  and  around  the 
buildings  above  the  level  of  the  ward  floors,  and 
secures  the  best  influence  of  the  prevailing  south- 
erly winds.  As  will  be  seen  in  the  description  of 
the  ward  buildings,  it  is  not  possible  to  pass  to  or 
from  the  octagon  or  either  of  the  common  wards 
without  going  into  the  free  external  air,  so  that 
there  can  be  no  communication  between  the  air  of 
different  wards.  Beneath  the  corridor  is  a  passage- 


way containing  the  pipes  for  heating,  lighting,  water 
supply,  sewage,  etc.,  which  is  called  the  pipe  tunnel, 
although  it  is  above  the  level  of  the  ground  for  more 
than  half  its  height. 

A  sectional  and  perspective  view  of  this  tunnel  is 
shown  in  Fig.  2.  U  is  the  terrace  walk;  S  is  the 
covered  passage,  about  10  feet  wide,  with  an  iron 
and  brick  floor,  and  T  is  the  pipe  tunnel,  about  8 
feet  high.  All  main  pipes  are  arranged  as  shown, 
suspended  or  on  rollers.  A  and  B  are,  respectively, 
2-inch  hot  and  3-inch  cold  water  supplies;  C  is  j£- 
inch  gas  pipe;  V  is  for  pneumatic  service;  E,  waste 
from  bathrooms;  G,  steam  distribution;  H,  26-inch 
hot-water,  main  flow;  I,  3-inch  main  steam  flow; 
L,  soil-pipe  branch;  K,  bathroom  waste  branch;  J, 
hot-water  return  branch;  M,  steam  return  branch; 
N,  4-inch  main  bathroom  waste;  O,  2-inch  steam 
return  main;  P,  5 -inch  soil  pipe;  Q,  26-inch  hot- 
water  return  main;  R  R,  etc.,  are  roller  saddles;  and 
D,  electric  wires. 

All  foundation  and  interior  walls  are  of  hard  brick, 
laid  in  Cumberland  cement  below  the  ground  level, 
at  which  point  they  are  covered  by  a  layer  of  heavy 
slate.  Lines  of  drain  tile  are  laid  around  the 
foundations,  and  for  all  the  buildings  having  cellars 
or  half  basements,  the  outer  surface  of  the  walls 
beneath  the  ground  is  sheathed  with  overlapping 
slates.  Above  the  the  horizontal  layers  of  slate  at 
grade  the  walls  are  hollow,  with  a  2-inch  air  space  9 
inches  from  the  inner  surface.  This  air  space  is 
closed  in  for  two  ar  three  courses  of  brick  at  the  top. 

The  floors  of  the  principal  buildings,  and  of  the 
corridors,  are  formed  of  molded  hollow  blocks  of 
hydraulic  lime  of  Teil,  laid  between  iron  beams  of 
suitable  size  and  covered  with  wood,  concrete  or 
asphalt.  Such  floors  are  fireproof  and  are  much 
lighter  than  those  constructed  with  solid  brick 
arches.  The  floors  of  the  basement  are  of  artificial 
stone  laid  in  large  blocks,  and  underneath  all  heat 
coils  is  placed  a  heavy  coat  of  asphalt  to  prevent  the 
passage  of  ground  air  up  through  the  coil. 

HEATING    AND    VENTILATING. 

All  the  wards,  the  administration  building,  the 
nurses'  home,  the  apothecaries'  building,  and  the 
kitchen,  are  heated  mainly  by  a  system  of  circula- 
tion, through  iron  pipes,  of  hot-water  of  compara- 
tively low  temperature  and  pressure,  the  heat  being 
furnished  by  boilers  at  the  kitchen  and  nurses' 
home.  In  many  of  the  rooms  in  these  buildings,  in- 
cluding all  the  private,  or  isolating,  rooms  for 
patients,  and  all  living  rooms  in  the  administration 
building,  open  fireplaces  are  also  provided,  but  these 
will  probably  be  rarely  used.  The  amphitheater, 
dispensary  and  bathhouses  are  heated  by  steam 
furnished  from  boilers  at  the  kitchen  building.  The 
pathological  laboratory  and  the  laundry  are  heated 
by  steam,  each  having  its  own  boiler.  The  general 
distribution  of  the  hot-water  and  steam  systems  is 
shown  in  Fig.  3. 

The  hot-water  boilers  for  heating  are  six  in  num- 
ber, four  being  in  the  vaults  at  the  kitchen  building 
and  two  in  the  cellar  of  the  nurses'  home,  and  all 
are  on  precisely  the  same  level — viz.,  85  feet  above 


146 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


mean  tide.  Each  of  these  boilers  is  5  feet  in  dia- 
meter and  if>  feet  long,  and  contains  106  3^-inch 
tubes  or  flues.  From  the  boilers  the  heated  water 
passes  into  the  great  outflow  mam,  which  is  a  cast- 
iron  pipe  26  inches  inside  diameter,  hung  on  rollers 
from  the  ceiling  of  the  pipe  tunnel,  as  shown  in  Fig. 
2,  and  provided  with  expansion  joints  just  outside 
the  kitchen  building.  From  this  main  flow-pipes 
are  given  off  at  each  building,  and  from  these  smaller 
mains  the  pipes  in  the  heating  coils  are  supplied. 
From  these  heating  coils  the  cooled  water  returns 
by  a  similar  system  of  pipes  aud  mains  to  the 
boiler.  This  circuit  is  practically  a  closed  one; 
none  of  the  water  being  drawn  off,  or  used,  at  any 
point,  so  that  there  is  very  little  loss.  The  force 


which  produces  this  circulation  is  a  small  one,  being 
the  difference  in  weight  of  a  column  of  heated  water 
from  that  of  a  similar  column  of  water  of  from  8°  to 
15°  Fahr.  lower  temperature,  each  column  being 
about  29  feet  high,  which  is  the  difference  between 
the  level  of  the  water  in  the  boilers  and  that  of  the 
top  of  the  heating  coils.  By  mean  s  of  valve  s  on  all  the 
mains,  and  on  the  supply  and  the  discharge  pipe  to 
each  coil,  the  rapidity  of  the  circulation  can  be  con- 
trolled for  each  building  and  for  each  coil,  thus  giv- 
ing a  corresponding  control  over  the  temperature  of 
the  coils  themselves,  since  this  is  dependent  on  the 
amount  of  water  of  a  given  temperature  which  passes 
through  the  coil  in  a  given  time.  The  entire  system 
of  hot- water  heating  contains  about  175,000  gallons- 


-  R- 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  IN   THE  JOHNS   HOPKINS   HOSPITAL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


147 


of  water,  and  practical  trial  has  shown  that  it  pro- 
duces an  equable,  agreeable  temperature  in  all  the 
buildings  to  which  it  is  supplied,  in  all  conditions  of 
cofd  weather,  and  with  the  fullest  ventilation  desired. 
To  prevent  toss  and  waste  of  heat  from  the  mains  in 
the  pipe  tunnel,  and  in  the  basements  of  the  several 
buildings,  these  pipes  are  covered  with  felt,  envel- 
oped in  asbestos  paper,  and  the  whole  is  inclosed 
with  stout  canvas  thoroughly  painted.  The  effect 
of  this  protection  is  marked  and  satisfactory — very 
little  heat  is  lost,  as  is  shown  by  the  temperatures  in 
the  pipe  tunnel,  and  a  great  saving  of  fuel  is  thus 
effected.  The  heating  coil  most  distant  from  the 
kitchen  boilers  is  that  in  the  southeast  end  of  the 
.isolating  ward,  being  763  feet  away,  as  measured 
along  the  tunnel  and  basement  of  the  ward. 

The  great  advantages  of  this  system  of  heating  for 
rooms  constantly  occupied  by  the  sick,  in  the  climate 
of  Baltimore,  are  its  uniformity  of  action,  the  com- 
paratively low  temperature  of  the  heating  surfaces 
over  which  the  air  is  passed,  the  ease  with  which 
different  temperatures  may  be  secured  in  different 
rooms,  or  even  for  different  beds  in  the  same  room, 
and,  above  all,  that  it  insures  the  delivery  of  a  large 
supply  of  air  heated  to  the  temperature  required  for 
comfort,  without  the  risk  of  overheating  or  of  sudden 
changes. 

Closely  connected  with  the  heating  apparatus  are 
many  of  the  arrangements  for  ventilation.  The  ex- 
ternal temperatures  at  the  hospital  have  a  range  of 
from  102°  Fahr.  in  summer  to  6  degrees  below  zero 
Fahr.  in  winter,  these  extremes  occurring  about  once 
in  10  years.  To  provide  for  these  requires  buildings 
and  apparatus  which  would  be  satisfactory  in  either 
Calcutta  or  St.  Petersburg.  Let  us  first  consider  the 
arrangements  for  ventilation  in  cold  weather.  In  the 
wards  and  rooms  occupied  by  the  sick,  the  sizes  of 
flues  and  registers  and  the  amount  of  heating  sur- 
face have  been  arranged  for  a  supply  of  i  cubic  foot 
of  fresh  air  per  second  for  each  person  in  the  ward, 
with  the  possibility  of  doubling  this  supply  for  a 
short  time  in  flushing  out  the  ward,  as  will  be  pres- 
ently explained.  In  the  pay  wards,  where  each  pa- 
tient has  a  separate  room,  making  it  more  difficult 
to  secure  thorough  distribution,  the  supply  of  air  is 
to  be  i  y^  cubic  feet  per  second  per  head.  In  the 
isolating  ward,  designed  for  cases  giving  rise  to  of- 
fensive odors  or  in  which  a  large  amount  of  organic 
matter  is  thrown  off,  or  in  which,  for  other  reasons, 
a  large  amount  of  air  is  desirable,  the  air  supply  is 
fixed  at  2  cubic  feet  per  second  per  head.  Finally,  three 
rooms  in  the  isolating  ward  are  arranged  with  perfo- 
rated floors  for  an  air  supply  of  4  cubic  feet  per  second 
per  head,  with  capacity  for  doubling  this  if  desired. 
For  all  the  wards  the  air  is  warmed  in  cold  weather  be- 
fore it  is  admitted  to  the  room,  forming  the  so-called 
method  of  heating  by  indirect  radiation  or  by  air  con- 
vection. All  registers  and  flues  for  fresh  air  are  of 
such  sizes  as  to  permit  the  passage  of  the  requisite 
amount  of  air  with  a  velocity  not  exceeding  i  y^  feet 
per  second  under  ordinary  circumstances.  Air  cur- 
rents of  this  velocity,  having  a  temperature  of  from 
70°  to  75°  Fahr.,  are  barely  perceptible  by  the  hand, 


and  create  little  or  no  discomfort.  The  fresh-air  reg- 
isters are,  as  a  rule,  placed  in  the  piers  in  the  outer 
walls,  at  a  height  of  9  inches  from  the  floor,  one  reg- 
ister being  allowed  to  each  pair  of  beds.  Besides 
these  there  are  registers  beneath  the  windows  in  the 
wards,  which  are  only  used  in  very  cold  weather  to 
check  the  down  drafts  produced  by  the  chilling  of  the 
air  through  the  glass  of  the  window.  The  chief 
register  being  that  in  the  pier  between  each  pair  of 
beds,  is  so  arranged  that  the  nurse,  by  turning  an 
iron  arm  upon  its  face,  can  reduce  the  temperature 
of  the  incoming  air  nearly  to  that  of  the  external  air, 
or  can  increase  it  to  the  maximum  which  the  heating 
coil  affords,  but  without  changing  the  quantity  of  the 
air  admitted.  Ordinarily,  as  is  well  known,  when  a 
room  heated  by  indirect  radiation  becomes  too  warm, 
the  only  way  to  shut  off  the  heat  supply  is  to  close 
the  register  and  thus  shut  off  the  air  supply  also,  but 
in  these  wards  the  temperature  can  be  regulated  at 
the  different  registers,  in  different  parts  of  the  room 
to  suit  the  needs  of  the  different  patients,  without 
interfering  with  the  air  supply. 

Table  Showing  the  Radiating  Surface  in  the  Coils 
for  Buildings  and  Rooms  Heated  by  Steam. 


Building  or  Room. 

Cubic  Feet 
of  Space 
Heated. 

Square 
Feet  of 
Radiating 
Surface. 

Amphitheater,  main  room.  

Dispensary,  main  room      

Pathological  building,  amphitheater.. 
Laundry  building,  total  ..  

26,OI9 

492 

Jroning-room 

Drying-room  for  patients'  clothing... 

1,664 

34° 

Table  Showing  the  Number  of  Square  Feet  of 
Radiating  Surface  in  the  Hot-  Water  Coils  for 
the  Principal  Buildings  and  Rooms  Supplied. 


Building  or  Room. 

Cubic  Feet 
of  Space 
Heated. 

Square 
Feet  of 
Radiating 
Surface. 

Administration  building,  total  

Superintendent's  office  .  

Pay  ward,  total      

Single  room  for  patients  .  

147-554 

162 

Nurses'  home,  total    

Each  room       ...  ..  .  .  . 

H 

Bay  window  in  ward  .  

60 

Nurses'  closet  and  bathroom  

3,l84 

.Dining-room  .  ...      

Common  ward,  total  

78,880 

Main  ward    

Private  ward.  

262& 

Dining-room 

262^ 

Water-closet  and  lavatory 

162 

Footplate  in  sun-room..         .          

1,886 

isolating  ward,  total  .  

4,645^ 

Single  room  

162 

Apothecaries'  building,  total  

79,463 

The  accompanying  memoranda  were  furnished  by 
Dr.  A.  C.  Abbott  as  the  results  of  observations  made 
of  the  workings  of  this  apparatus  in  one  of  the  com- 
mon wards  during  the  month  of  December,  1889,  the 
average  number  of  patients  in  the  ward  being  24. 

In  the  main  ventilating  shaft  of  the  ward,  the 
accelerating  coil  being  heated,  the  velocity  of  the 
ascending  current  was  3.8  feet  per  second,  giving  a 


148 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Table  Showing  the  Average  Temperature,  the  Mean  Relative  Humidity  and  the  Mean  Dew  Point  of  the 
Outside  Air  as  Compared  with  the  Corresponding  Figures  for  the  Air  in  the  Wards. 


Month. 

TEMPERATURE  OF 
OUTSIDE  AIR. 

TEMPERATURE  OF  AIR 
IN  WARD. 

MEAN  RELATIVE 
HUMIDITY. 

MEAN  DEW 
POINT. 

MEAN  TEMPERA- 
TURE IN  COILS. 

VELOCITY 
OF  INCOM- 
ING AIR. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Max. 

Min. 

Mean. 

Outside. 

Inside. 

Outside 

Inside. 

Flow. 

Return. 

Average. 

November  ._ 
December  .. 

67° 
50.1° 

27' 
33-3° 

44-2° 
43-6° 

75  5° 
74-5° 

62.4° 
67.3e 

70.4° 
70.  s° 

7°-7# 
73* 

33-  *# 
34-2* 

34-7° 
34-8° 

38.5° 
39-8° 

"97° 
134-8° 

110° 

129  7° 

3  feet. 
•\  .  3  feet. 

total  flow  of  95  cubic  feet  of  air  per  second,  being 
nearly  4  cubic  feet  per  second  per  head.  When  the 
accelerating  coil  was  not  heated,  the  velocity  was 
2.8  feet  per  second.  In  the  water-closet  shaft  of  the 
common  ward,  measuring  24x36  inches,  the  velocity 
of  the  ascending  current  was  183  feet  per  minute. 
The  velocity  of  the  air  currents  entering  through  the 
registers  varied  from  1.6  to  3.3  per  second,  depending 
upon  the  adjustment  of  the  valve  for  admitting  the 
outer  air  freely  to  the  coils. 

The  carbonic  acid  determinations  made  by  Dr. 
Abbott  to  determine  the  distribution  of  the  fresh  air 
within  the  ward  are  not  yet  sufficient  in  number  to 
give  positive  results,  chiefly  owing  to  the  fact  that 
very  great  variations  are  found  in  the  proportion  of 
the  carbonic  acid  in  the  external  air  due  to  the  direc. 
tion  of  the  wind  and  to  other  circumstances.  In 
general,  however,  it  may  be  said  that  the  proportion 
of  carbonic  impurity  due  to  the  respiration  of  patients 
in  the  ward  is  about  2  parts  in  10,000,  and  the 
above  table,  showing  the  comparison  of  dew  points 
and  relative  humidity  of  the  outer  air  and  the  air  in 
the  ward,  indicates  that  the  vapor  and  other  impuri- 
ties added  to  the  air  by  the  respiration  of  the  patients 
in  the  ward  is  removed  almost  as  rapidly  as  it  is 
formed.  As  regards  temperature,  it  is  certain  that 
the  wards  can  be  kept  at  a  temperature  of  70°  Fahr. 
in  the  coldest  weather,  while  at  the  same  time  such 
ventilation  is  being  secured  in  the  ward  that  a  person 
with  a  normal  sense  of  smell  coming  from  the  fresh 


external  air  shall  at  no  time  perceive  any  trace  of 
musty  or  animal  odor.  A  systematic  series  of  observa- 
tions of  temperature,  dew  point,  and  relative  humidity 
of  the  external  air  in  the  central  garden  and  in  the 
wards  are  now  being  carried  on,  the  observation 
being  made  at  8  A.  M.  and  8  p.  M.,  and  from  these 
taken  in  connection  with  the  corresponding  series  of 
carbonic  acid  determinations  in  the  wards  and  in  the 
external  air  to  be  made  by  Dr.  Abbott  throughout 
the  coming  year,  all  of  which  will  be  duly  published, 
the  operation  of  the  heating  and  ventilation  apparatus 
can  be  determined  with  scientific  precision.  At 
present  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  it  amply  fulfills 
the  purposes  for  which  it  is  designed,  and  furnishes 
and  properly  distributes  within  the  wards  an  amount 
of  fresh  air  heated  to  an  agreeable  temperature, 
which  is,  if  anything,  in  excess  of  the  requirements 
laid  down  by  the  best  authorities  on  hygiene. 


FIG.  7. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  IN   THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS   HOSPITAL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


PART  II. — FILTERING  PLANT,  PLAN  AND  PERSPECTIVE  OF 
MAIN  BOILER-ROOM,  SPECIAL  HOT  WATER  AND  STEAM 
MAIN  EXPANSION  JOINTS. 

THE  water  supply  of  the  hospital  is  taken  from  a 
general  supply  of  the  city  of  Baltimore,  mainly 
through  a  6-inch  pipe,  which  enters  the  center  of 
the  street  front  of  the  boiler  vaults  at  the  kitchen 
building.  In  these  vaults  it  passes  through  two  large 
filters  of  the  Loomis  patent.  These  are  iron  cylin- 
ders, nearly  filled  with  clean  sand.  At  intervals  of 
about  24  hours  the  direction  of  the  current  through 
these  filters  is  reversed,  and  the  accumulated  im- 
purities are  washed  out  into  the  street.  The  strain- 
ing effect  of  these  filters  is  shown  by  the  bacteriolog- 
ical examinations  of  the  water  which  have  been 
made  in  the  hospital.  Before  filtration  the  water 
contains  an  average  of  39  micro-organisms  per  cubic 
centimeter;  after  filtration  the  average  number  found 
is  six  per  cubic  centimeter. 

Figure  4  is  a  diagram  showing  the  position  of  the 
Loomis  filters  W  W,  Fig.  8.  The  water  from  meters 
A  A  passes  through  the  4-inch  pipes  H  H,  valves 
E  E,  and  branches  G  G  into  the  filters  W  W;  thence 
through  4-inch  pipes  D  D  and  valves  C  C  into 
branches  B  B,  to  the  4-inch  branches  I  I,  which 
connect  with  the  6-inch  branch  K  which  supplies 
boilers,  house  tank,  etc.  For  cleaning  the  filter, 
valves  E  E  are  reversed  and  water  enters  through 
pipes  D  D,  and  escaping  through  branches  M  M  is 


The  water  enters  from  the  meter  A,  Fig.  4, 
through  three-way  valve  No.  i,  passes  down  into 
filter  at  D,  through  perforated  plate  E,  where  the 
coarser  impurities  floating  in  the  water  are  strained 
out,  thence  into  the  main  body  of  the  cylinder  and 
down  through  the  filtering  material  G  and  perfo- 
rated plate  H.  The  filtered  water  passes  out  of 
the  filter  at  I,  up  pipe  K,  through  valve  No.  2,  and 
into  the  delivery  pipe  O. 

Where  it  is  desirable  to  use  alum  or  other 
chemical  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  im- 
purities in  solution  into  a  state  of  suspension,  a 
trace  of  it  is  introduced  into  the  water  from  air 
chamber  B  through  valve  M  as  the  water  passes 
it. 

When  valve  i  is  reversed  by  lever  C  the  water 
is  made  to  enter  at  J,  and  is  discharged  through 
D  to  waste  pipe  L,  and  the  filtering  material  G  is 
forced  through  the  cutting  plate  F  and  thoroughly 
broken  up  and  washed  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
filter.  The  perforated  plates  E  and  H  prevent  the 
escape  of  the  filtering  material  with  the  effluent 
water.  The  arrangement  of  pipes  in  Fig.  4  was 
necessitated  in  order  to  have  the  filters  set  in  an 
alcove  and  carry  the  pipes  along  the  walls  out  of 
the  way. 

Figure  10  is  a  side  elevation  of  the  vertical  sec- 
tion of  hot-water  main  Z,  which  is  arranged  to  pro- 
vide for  expansion  movements  at  the  entrance  to 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   IN   THE   JOHNS   HOPKINS   HOSPITAL. 


discharged  into  the  sewer  through  the  waste  pipes 
L  L.  If  an  unobstructed  flow  of  water  is  required, 
as  in  case  of  fire,  or  for  any  other  purpose  that  de- 
mands a  great  delivery,  valves  O  O  and  N  N  are 
closed  and  P  B  are  opened,  thus  reversing  their 
usual  position  and  providing  a  by-pass  around  the 
filters  so  that  water  is  delivered  directly  from 
meters  A  A  to  the  pumps,  etc.  C  C  are  check  valves, 
closing  toward  the  filters;  Q  Q  are  key  valves,  and  R 
is  a  draw  cock  for  the  boiler-room  supply. 

Figure  7  is  a  vertical  section  of  one  of  the  filters, 
which  is  made  of  cast  iron  with  brass  cocks  and  is 
96  inches  high  and  36  inches  in  diameter. 


pipe  tunnel  T,  Fig.  8;  each  joint,  A  A,  permitting 
rotary  motion  in  the  cylindrical  surface  C  about 
center  B,  so  that  the  normally  vertical  section  D 
may  assume  an  inclination  either  way  to  conform  to 
either  expansion  or  contraction  of  the  horizontal 
mains. 

Figure  n  is  part  section  and  part  elevation  at  X  X 
and  Z  Z,  Fig.  10.  Figure  12  is  an  enlarged  view  of 
top  joint  A,  and  Fig.  13  is  a  vertical  section  through 
same.  Figure  14  shows  an  expansion  joint  of  one  of 
the  steam  mains,  and  Fig.  15  is  a  section  at  Z  Z, 
Fig.  14,  the  arrows  indicating  the  course  of  the 
steam. 


150 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


PART  III. — SYSTEM  IN  THE  ADMINISTRATION  BUILDING, 
SYSTEMS  IN  THE  COMMON  WARDS,  GENERAL  DE- 
SCRIPTION, OPERATION.  PLAN  OF  WARD,  CROSS-SEC- 
TION AND  LONGITUDINAL  SECTION. 

THE  administration  building,  A,  Fig.  i,  is  three 
stories  high,  besides  basement,  finished  attic  and 
dome,  and  has  extreme  dimensions  of  about  184x171 
feet.  It  contains  general  offices,  library,  board  rooms, 
apartments  for  the  superintendent  and  resident 
physicians,  and  students'  bedrooms.  It  is  heated 
throughout  by  the  hot- water  system,  mainly  by  in- 
direct coils  in  the  cellar,  each  room  having  a  separate 
fresh-air  flue  by  which,  as  well  as  the  open  fireplace 
and  chimney  flue,  it  is  ventilated. 

The  common  wards,  H,  G,  F,  Fig.  i,  are  essentially 
alike,  the  main  rooms  being  each  99'6"x27'6"xi6'  clear 
height,  giving  to  each  of  the  24  beds  7  feet  6  inches 
of  wall  space,  107  square  feet  of  floor  area,  and  1,769 
cubic  feet  of  air  space. 

At  the  south  end  of  the  ward  is  a  large  bay  window, 
the  sash  of  which  comes  nearly  to  the  floor,  forming 
a  sort  of  sun-room,  and  in  the  floor,  near  the  walls 
and  windows  of  this  bay,  are  laid  iron  plates,  cover- 
ing an  iron  box,  in  which  run  hot-water  pipes,  thus 
giving  a  warm  floor  to  prevent  the  downflow  of 
air  chilled  by  the  window  surface,  and  thus  to  insure 
warm  feet  and  comfort  to  the  convalescents  sitting 
in  this  space  in  cold  weather.  Right  angles  in  the 
ward  are  avoided  as  far  as  possible;  all  corners  are 
rounded,  the  junction  of  the  ceiling  with  the  walls 
forms  a  quarter-circle,  and  the  same  occurs  at  the 
junction  of  the  walls  and  floors,  this  last  being  ef- 
fected by  the  use  of  a  curved  strip  of  hard  wood  in- 
stead of  the  ordinary  washboard. 

The  most  important  feature  of  the  ward  is  the 
method  of  heating  and  ventilating.  The  heating  is 
effected  by  hot  water  coming  from  the  mains  in  the 
pipe  tunnel  and  passing  through  coils  of  3-inch  cast- 
iron  pipe,  arranged  in  stacks  in  the  basement  against 
the  other  outer  walls.  Under  ordinary  circumstances, 
in  cold  weather,  the  average  temperature  in  these 
coils  is  150°  Fahr.,  but  the  temperature  in  any  coil, 
or  set  of  coils,  can  be  lowered  to  any  degree  above 
that  of  the  external  air  by  lessening  the  velocity  of 
the  current  of  hot  water  passing  through  it,  which  is 
readily  effected  by  valves  placed  on  the  flow  and  re- 
turn pipe  of  each  coil. 

The  fresh-air  supply  is  admitted  through  openings 
in  the  exterior  walls  of  the  basement  of  the  ward, 
coming  from  over  the  green  lawn  which  surrounds 
the  wards.  These  openings  in  the  wall  are  pro- 
tected by  wire  nettings  and  communicate  with 
galvanized-iron  flues  which  pass  downward  to  open 
in  the  chambers  beneath  the  heating  coils,  and  also 
upward  directly  to  the  fresh-air  registers  in  the  ward. 
In  each  flue,  opposite  the  external  opening,  is  a 
cast-iron  valve  or  damper,  operated  from  the  ward 
above,  by  means  of  which  the  incoming  fresh  air  can 
be  either  directed  wholly  downward,  so  that  it  must 
all  pass  through  the  heating  coil,  or  wholly  upward, 
so  that  it  passes  directly  to  the  ward  without  being 
heated,  or  partly  upward  and  partly  downward,  so 
as  to  produce  a  mixture  of  any  desired  temperature. 


The  lower  end  of  the  galvanized  iron  fresh-air  flue, 
which  opens  beneath  the  radiator,  has  a  valve  which 
can  be  closed  to  regulate  the  amount  of  incoming 
air,  when  this  is  necessary  in  cold  and  windy 
weather.  The  heating  coils  are  inclosed  in  brick 
chambers,  which  have  at  the  top,  in  front  of  the 
coils,  a  large  plate  composed  of  two  sheets  of  gal- 
vanized iron  with  felt  between.  These  plates  or 
doors  fit  tightly,  but  can  be  readily  removed,  thus 
giving  the  freest  access  to  the  pipes  for  the  purposes 
of  cleansing  or  of  repair. 


Two  systems  of  exit  flues  are  provided  to  remove 
foul  air  from  the  ward.  The  first  has  a  series  of  cir- 
cular openings  in  the  floor  of  the  ward,  one  beneath 
the  foot  of  each  bed.  These  openings  are  12  inches 
in  diameter,  and  are  each  covered  wittt  a  nearly 
hemispherical  dome  of  wire  netting  to  prevent  the 
dropping  of  small  objects  into  the  flues  beneath. 
Each  of  these  openings  communicates  with  a  gal- 
vanized-iron tube,  12  inches  in  diameter,  which 
passes  obliquely  on  the  ceiling  of  the  basement  to 
enter  the  lower  foul-air  duct,  which  runs  longitudi- 
nally beneath  the  ward  floor  to  enter  the  ventilating 
chimney.  The  main  longitudinal  foul-air  duct  is 
constructed  of  wood,  lined  with  galvanized  iron.  At 
the  end  most  remote  from  the  chimney  it  measures 
internally  i'io"xi'3",  and  from  this  point  it  gradually 
enlarges  to  provide  for  the  additional  flues  entering 
it,  until,  at  the  point  where  it  enters  the  ventilating 
chimney,  it  measures  internally  4'4rx2'io".  The  ven- 
tilating chimney  is  4  feet  2  inches  in  diameter  and 
75  feet  high. 

The  upper  system  for  the  escape  of  foul  air  has  six 
openings  in  the  center  of  the  ceiling  of  the  ward, 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


151 


each  measuring  2x2  feet  and  placed  13  feet  apart. 
These  open  into  the  upper  foul-air  duct,  which  runs 
longitudinally  in  the  attic  above  the  ceiling  of  the 
ward  and  enters  the  ventilating  chimney,  correspond- 
ing to  the  lower  duct  described.  The  ceiling  of  the 
ward  is  i  foot  higher  in  the  center  than  at  the  sides. 
The  openings  in  the  ceiling  into  the  upper  foul-air 
duct  are  .controlled  by  shutters,  which  are  raised  01 
lowered  at  pleasure  by  the  movement  of  an  iron 
lever  in  the  ventilating  chimney.  In  this  main  venti- 
lating chimney  or  aspirating  shaft  there  is  placed, 
just  above  the  entrance  of  the  upper  longitudinal  air 
duct,  a  coil  of  pipe,  heated  by  high-pressure  steam, 
which  serves  to  increase  the  velocity  of  the  upward 
current  of  air  in  the  chimney,  and  is  therefore  called 
the  accelerating  coil.  Under  ordinary  circumstances, 
in  cold  weather,  only  the  downward  ventilation  is 
used,  as  this  tends  to  save  heat;  but  whenever  the 
ward  becomes  overheated,  or  it  is  desired  for  any 


reason  to  pass  a  large  quantity  of  air  through  it,  the 
ceiling  registers  are  also  opened.  In  moderate  and 
warm  weather  both  sets  of  registers  are  open.  The 
velocity  of  the  upward  current  in  the  ventilating 
chimney,  and  therefore  its  aspiratory  power,  may  be 
increased,  as  above  stated,  by  means  of  the  accelerat- 
ing coil.  It  may  also  be  regulated  by  a  pair  of 
valves  near  the  top  of  the  chimney,  which  can  be 
closed  or  opened  by  an  iron  lever  in  the  chimney, 
aecessible  through  a  small  door  -just  opposite  the 
door  of  the  ward. 

In  addition  to  these  means  lor  producing  and  regu- 
lating air  currents,  the  common  ward,  nearest  the 
octagon,  is  provided  with  a  propelling  fan,  situated 
in  the  basement,  at  the  south  end.  From  this  fan  a 
duct  is  led  with  a  branch  which  enters  each  coil 
chamber  at  the  floor  and  turns  upward  for  a  short 
distance.  The  diameter  of  the  air  duct  as  it  leaves 
the  fan  case  is  4  feet.  It  divides  into  two  main 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   IN  THE   JOHNS   HOPKINS   HOSPITAL. 


152 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


153 


branches,  each  2  feet  square,  and  from  these  are 
given  off  the  branch  ducts  to  each  coil,  each  being  10 
inches  in  diameter.  By  running  this  fan  for  a  few 
moments  a  very  large  amount  of  air  can  be  forced 
into  the  ward,  securing  a  thorough  air  flushing  and 
the  prompt  removal  of  unpleasant  odors.  In  hot, 
still  weather  the  currents  of  air  produced  by  the  fan 
in  the  ward  are  very  grateful  to  the  sick.  The  other 
wards  are  fitted  to  receive  similar  fans  and  ducts, 
but  are  not  yet  supplied  with  them. 

The  whole  system  of  ventilation,  sizes  of  ducts, 
flues  and  registers,  and  provision  of  power  to  insure 
movement  of  air  is  intended  to  secure  i  cubic  foot  of 
fresh  air  per  second  for  each  of  the  24  beds  in  the 
room,  and  to  provide  a  reserve  capacity  of  doubling 
this  supply  if  it  be  desired  to  do  so.  The  capacity  of 
the  apparatus  is  in  excess  of  this.  In  this  connection 
it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  wards  are  not 
intended  for  cases  of  contagious  disease,  nor  for 
cases  such  as  uterine  cancer,  etc.,  which  give  rise  to 
very  offensive  odors. 

Figure  16  is  a  first-floor  plan  of  a  common  ward; 
Fig.  17  is  a  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  16;  Fig.  18  is  a  sec- 
tion at  X  X,  Fig.  16.  In  Figs.  16,  17,  and  18  the  fol- 
lowing reference  letters  are  used  :  C,  brick  ventilat- 
i:g  chimney,  4  feet  diameter  inside.  The  different 
ventilating  flues  are  :  W  C  and  W  C,  16  inches  and 
20  inches  in  diameter,  from  the  water-closets;  P  W 
and  P  W,  18x22  inches,  from  the  private  wards;  D  R, 
17x24  inches,  from  the  dining-room;  C  L  V,  10  inches 
diameter,  from  elevator  shaft;  E  V,  10  inches  diam- 
eter, from  dumb-waiter  shaft;  P  L  V,  from  linen  and 


clothes  closets;  A  C,  A  C,  etc.,  accelerating  steam 
coils;  h  c,  h  c ,  etc.,  hot-water  coils;  G  V  is  a  24-inch 
diameter  attic  ventilation  duct;  V  is  a  ventilating 
duct  on  basement  ceiling;  X  is  the  attic  main  venti- 
lating duct;  and  V  W  is  a  24-inch  ventilating  shaft 
for  water-closets. 

In  Fig.  16,  B  is  the  lavatory;  G,  patients'  water- 
closet;  D,  nurses'  water-closet;  E,  bathroom;  F  F, 
halls;  H,  patients'  clothing  closet;  I,  linen  closet;  J 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION    IN   THE   JOHNS    HOPKINS    HOSPITAL. 


154 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   IN   THE   JOHNS   HOPKINS   HOSPITAL. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


155 


J  are  private  wards;  K  is  the  dining-room;  L,  tea 
kitchen;  M,  elevator;  N  N,  etc.,  are  fireplaces;  P  P, 
etc.,  beds;  Q  Q,  etc. ,  9x22  inches,  vertical  fresh-air 
ducts,  with  14x22  registers;  Z  Z,  etc  ,  9x13  inches, 
vertical  fresh-air  ducts,  with  nxi 7-inch  registers; 
W  is  a  direct  radiator;  Y  Y  are  steam  pipes;  S  is  the 
sun-room;  T  T  is  a  covered  terrace  (see  Figs,  i 
and  2). 

PART  IV. — THE  COMMON  WARDS  CONTINUED,  DETAILS  OF 
SYSTEMS,  BASEMENT  FLOOR  AND  CEILING  PLANS 
AND  PERSPECTIVE.  TRANSVERSE  SECTION  THROUGH 
WARD,  SECTION  OF  RADIATOR  CHAMBER,  VIEW  OF 
FAN,  AND  DETAIL  OF  DUCTS. 

FIGURE  19  is  a  general  transverse  section  of  the 
common  ward  building  at  Y  Y,  Fig.  16.  Figure  20 
is  a  floor  plan  of  the  basement  under  the  ward. 
Figure  21  is  a  ceiling  plan  of  the  same.  Figure  22  is 
a  perspective  view  from  Z,  Fig.  20.  In  Figs  19,  20, 
21,  and  22  the  references  are  the  same — viz.,  C,  ven- 
tilating chimney;  h  c,  hot-water  coils;  V  and  X,  ven- 
tilating ducts. 


and.  by  belt  B,  drives  the  6o-inch  fan  F,  which 
draws  in  fresh  outside  air  through  window  W,  and 
forces  it  through  duct  A. 

Figure  24  is  an  enlarged  section,  not  to  scale, 
through  chamber  C,  Fig.  19.  Cold  air  is  admitted 
through  the  outer  wall,  at  L,  and  through  duct  M  to 
chamber  C;  thence,  rising  through  heating  coils  h  c, 
it  passes  through  duct  Q  and  register  R  into  the 
ward  room.  The  shaft  H,  commanded  by  handle  F, 
carries  an  arm  I,  to  which  is  attached  the  chain  E, 
which  controls  dampers  B  B.  Turning  handle  F  in 
one  direction  lowers  the  chain  and  the  upper  damper 
is  gradually  closed,  and  the  lower  one  simultaneously 
cuts  off  the  air  from  duct  M,  and  admits  it  directly  to 
duct  Q,  so  that  the  dampers  may  easily  be  set  to 
admit  any  desired  proportion  of  the  cold  supply  to 
the  heater  without  diminishing  the  total  volume,  as 
the  inlet  V  can  never  be  closed;  and  when  one  dam- 
per B  is  shut  the  other  must  be  open.  H  is  a  reg- 
ister, and  S  a  screen;  h  c  is  the  hot-water  radiator, 
containing  about  50  3  inch  cast-iron  pipes,  4  feet  6 
inches  long,  supported  on  iron  beams  K,  and  con- 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  IN  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  HOSPITAL. 


P  P  are  ward  beds;  E  E,  shields  over  the  venti- 
lation duct  branches  F  F;  C  C,  brick  radiator 
chambers;  G  G,  hot-water  flow;  D  D,  return  pipes; 
M  M,  outdoor  fresh-air  inlet;  Q  Q,  fresh-air  flues; 
J  J,  etc.,  iron  doors;  A  A  are  the  bpecial  fresh-air 
forcing  ducts  which  are  not  yet  placed  in  any  ward, 
except  F  (Fig.  i);  B  B,  are  the  branches,  10  inches  in 
diameter;  H  is  a  live-steam  pipe. 

In  Fig.  20  U  is  the  fan  engine  forcing  air  through 
ducts  A  A,  etc.,  and  T  is  a  steam  trap  on  the  ex- 
haust  pipe. 

Figure  23  shows  the  engine  at  U,  Fig.  20.  It  re- 
ceives steam  from  pipe  H,  exhausts  through  pipe  R, 


nected  to  the  flow  and   return  branches  G  and  D. 
J  J  J  are  cast-iron  doors. 

In  ward  F  only  a  special  supply  of  fresh  air  can  be 
forced  in  through  duct  A  and  branches  B  B,  etc., 
governed  by  damper  O.  The  fresh-air  damper  N  is 
made  to  be  set  and  fastened  at  any  required  position, 
or  it  may  be  entirely  closed,  and  tempered  air  from 
basement  be  admitted  through  the  upper  door  J. 
Damper  N  is  mounted  on  a  horizontal  axis  P  (see 
section),  which  has  an  arm  T  which  moves  on  a  semi- 
circular guide  bar  U.  To  this  it  may  be  clamped  in 
any  position  by  a  screw  V.  Figure  25  is  an  enlarged 
view  of  the  inlets  L  and  M,  Fig.  24. 


156 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


157 


PART  V. — DESCRIPTION,  TRANSVERSE  AND  LONGITUDINAL 
SECTIONS  OF  THE  PAY  WARDS,  FRESH-AIR  CONDUITS, 
OCTAGON  WARD,  DESCRIPTION  OF  SYSTEMS,  FIRST  - 
FLOOR  AND  BASEMENT  PLAN  AND  LONGITUDINAL 
SECTION. 

THE  pay  wards  B  and  C,  Fig.  i,  are  two-story 
buildings,  each  49^x130  feet,  with  one-story  wings, 
containing  bathrooms,  etc.  The  patients'  rooms 
measure  about  12x15  feet,  and  open  from  each  side 
of  a  central  corridor.  Each  room  has  an  open  fire- 
place and  smoke  flue,  and  in  the  corridor  wall,  next 
the  fireplace,  are  exit  flues  connected  with  an  attic 
galvanized-iron  flue,  discharging  into  a  central,  per- 
pendicular, ventilating  shaft,  that  contains  an  accel- 
erating steam  coil.  The  heating  system  is  the  same 
as  described  in  Part  III.  for  the  common  wards,  ex- 
cept that  fresh  air  is  admitted  from  the  basement  in- 
stead of  directly  through  external  openings,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  26,  which  is  a  section  of  the  radiator  chamber 
C,  corresponding  to  Fig.  24. 

Tempered  air  from  the  basemant  A  enters  the  brick 
chamber  C  through  inlet  V,  and  passes  up  through 
flue  Q.to  enter  the  patients'  room  P  through  a  register 
R.  The  valves  B  B  are  simultaneously  controlled  by 
chain  E,  operated  by  crank  I  of  shaft  H,  which  is 
turned  by  handle  F.  When  both  valves  are  fully 
raised, as  shown, only  heated  air  through  S  is  admitted 
at  R.  If  both  are  fully  lowered, as  indicated  by  dotted 
lines,  only  cold  air  through  T  is  admitted  at  R;  but 
if  the  dampers  are  only  partly  raised/the  hot  and 
cold  air  is  mixed,  and  the  full  volume  of  fresh  air  is 
always  admitted  at  any  desired  temperature  between 
the  limits.  The  cast-iron  radiator  pipes  h  c  are  sup- 
ported on  iron  beams  K.  There  are  doors,  not  here 
shown,  from  chamber  C  to  the  basement. 


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Figure  27  is  a  longitudinal  section  through  the 
corridor  of  the  upper  part  of  the  pay  ward. 

Figure  28  is  a  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  27.  A,  B,  D, 
and  G  are  respectively  the  cellar,  basement  and 
main  and  attic  floors;  V  V  are  ventilating  flues;  C  C, 
etc.,  smoke  chimneys;  H  C,  H  C  radiator  chambers; 
S  L  is  a  skylight;  B  Y  a  balcony;  V  V  are  corridors. 


The  octagon  ward  D  E,  Fig.  i,  is  57  feet  8  inches 
in  diameter,  has  two  i6-foot  stories  above  the  base- 
ment, and  provides  1,760  cubic  feet  of  space  for  each 
bed.  The  heating  of  the  ward  is  arranged  substan- 
tially as  in  the  common  ward  before  described,  but 
the  system  of  ventilation  is  altogether  different.  Ris- 
ing through  the  center  of  the  ward  is  an  octagonal 
brick  chimney  8  feet  in  diameter  internally,  and  with 
walls  2  feet  6  inches  thick,  making  a  total  external 
diameter  of  13  feet.  Upon  each  face  of  this  chimney 
are  two  openings  from  the  ward,  one  near  the  floor, 
the  other  near  the  ceiling,  each  measuring  20x26 
inches.  Those  in  the  lower  ward  open  directly  into 
the  central  shaft. 

Within  this  brick  chimney  is  set  a  boiler-iron  tube, 
5  feet  9  inches  in  diameter,  resting  on  a  projecting 
cast-iron  base  built  into  the  walls,  which  tube  extends 
from  the  floor  of  the  lower  ward  to  above  the  ceiling 
of  the  upper  one.  Into  the  space  between  this 
boiler-iron  flue  and  the  outer  chimney  the  openings 
from  the  upper  ward  enter.  Just  above  the  top  of 
the  boiler-iron  flue  is  placed  a  ring  ot  steam  pipe 
to  act  as  an  accelerating  coil.  Through  the  center 
ot  the  chimney  rises  a  cast-iron  pipe  12  inches  in 
diameter,  which  is  intended  to  serve  as  a  smoke  flue 
tor  the  open  fireplaces  to  be  placed  in  the  wards 
against  the  central  chimney,  if  these  are  found  to 
be  desirable.  This  smoke  flue  extends  to  the  base- 
ment floor,  where  a  large  opening  into  it  is  provided 
to  permit  of  the  removal  of  soot  swept  down.  Above 
the  smoke  flue  extends  through  and  projects  a  little 
above  the  fixed  cowl  which  caps  the  top  of  the 
chimney. 

In  these  wards  the  general  direction  of  the  air 
currents  is  from  the  circumference  towards  the  cen- 
tral shaft.  In  cold  weather  the  air  passes  either  en- 
tirely or  in  part  through  the  heating  coils,  the  tern- 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


aOh-HBH-.:.- 
rn      m  *  irir- 11 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


159 


perature  being  regulated  by  a  valve,  as  described 
for  the  common  wards,  and  is  allowed  to  escape 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  through  the 
openings  near  the  floor  in  the  central  shaft,  in  order 
to  secure  uniform  diffusion  of  the  fresh  air  and  to 
prevent  undue  loss  of  heat.  During  warm  weather, 
or  when  it  is  desired  to  rapidly  change  the  air  of 
the  ward,  the  upper  registers  in  the  central  shaft 
near  the  ceiling  are  opened,  in  addition  to  the  lower 
ones.  The  general  arrangement  of  the  central  shaft 
is  shown  in  the  longitudinal  section  of  the  ward, 
Fig.  31,  which  also  indicates  by  dotted  lines  the  po- 
sition and  course  of  the  hot-air  flues  in  the  piers 
between  the  windows  in  the  external  walls.  The 
area  of  clear  opening  at  the  top  of  the  central  shaft 
can  be  diminished  by  valves. 

Figure  29  is  a  plan  of  the  basement.  Figure  30 
is  a  plan  of  the  first  main  floor,  and  Fig.  31  is  a 
section  at  Z  Z,  Figs.  29  and  30.  C  is  the  ventilating 
chimney,  8  feet  diameter;  B  C  is  a  6-foot  iron  cylin- 
der; C  C  is  a  covered  corridor;  H  C  are  heat  coils; 


wing  that  contains  nurses'  rooms,  bathrooms,  etc. 
Figure  32  is  a  plan  of  one  end  of  the  main  floor,  and 
Fig-  33  is  a  plan  of  the  basement  underneath.  Figure 
34  is  a  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  32;  Fig.  35  is  a  full  longi- 
tudinal section  at  X  X,  Fig.  32.  O  O  is  a  corridor 
extending  the  full  height  of  the  building,  opening 
into  the  open  air  at  B  Y,  and  having  movable  glass 
louvers  L  L,  etc. 

There  are  17  patients'  rooms  P  P,  etc.,  each  meas- 
uring 11x13  feet,  and  three  rooms  III,  I3'xi3'xio". 
Each  has  an  open  chimney  and  fireplace  C,  and  is 
entered  by  double  doors  D.  A  A,  etc.,  are  small 
closets,  each  with  one  door  into  the  patient's  room 
and  one  door  into  the  corridor  through  which  a 
commode  may  be  removed  without  entering  the 
patient's  room.  This  closet  is  lined  with  galvanized 
iron  and  may  be  easily  purified  by  flame. 

Figure  35  shows  the  arrangement  of  closet  A  and 
chimney  C,  which  is  over  40  feet  high.  G  is  the 
grate;  A  C,  an  accelerating  coil  in  the  28x28-inch 
closet  flue  V;  S,  the  smoke  flue;  H,  the  door  into  the 


F  F,  food  lifts:  V  is  a  ventilating  shaft  for  same; 
C  L  is  a  coal  and  soiled  clothes  lift;  V  is  a  lo-inch 
ventilation  duct  for  same;  H  is  a  hall,  P  W,  P  W, 
etc.,  are  private  wards;  W  is  a  lavatory;  B,  bath- 
room; W  C,  water-closets;  P  C  are  patients'  clothing 
closets;  L  is  a  clean  linen  room;  N  C  is  a  nurses' 
closet;  R,  range;  K,  sink;  D  C,  drying  closet;  S  R, 
storeroom;  T,  open  terrace,  see  Fig.  i;  A  C  are  ac- 
celerating steam  coils;  V  W  C  is  a  24-inch  water- 
closet  vent;  V,  32-inch  vent  for  water-closet,  bath- 
room and  lavatory;  V  S,  42-inch  ventilator  for  special 
wards;  V  L,  14-inch  vent  for  linen  closet  and  clothes 
room;  P  T,  pipe  tunnel;  D  C,  chimney  damper;  S, 
smoke  pipe;  B,  basement  floor;  D,  main  floor;  E,  sec- 
ond floor;  G,  attic  floor. 

PART  VI. — DESCRIPTION,  PLANS,  TRANSVERSE  AND  LONGI- 
TUDINAL SECTIONS  OF  THE  ISOLATED  WARD,  AND 
DETAILS  OF  ITS  VENTILATING  CHIMNEYS  AND  HEAT- 
ING CHAMBERS. 

THE  isolating  ward  I,  Fig.  i,  is  one  story  high, 
about  45  feet  wide  by  160  feet  long,  and  contains  20 
rooms  for  patients,  arranged  on  both  sides  of  a  central 


corridor;  and  K,  the  door  into  the  patient's  room. 
As  there  are  no  common  rooms  it  is  intended  to 
isolate  each  patient  from  every  other  patient. 

Fresh  air  enters  the  patient's  room  through  regis- 
ters in  the  corners,  in  the  outer  wall;  the  arrange- 
ments for  heating  and  regulating  the  temperature  of 
the  incoming  air  being  substantially  the  same  as 
those  described  for  the  common  wards,  but  the 
amount  of  heating  surface  is  greater,  being  calculated 
for  a  constant  supply  of  air  amounting  to  2  cubic 
feet  per  second  for  each  room.  The  excreta  removed 
from  closets  A  A,  etc.,  can  be  thoroughly  disinfected 
before  it  is  taken  to  a  sink  that  is  inclosed  by  glass 
doors,  and  has  special  ventilation  and  air  supply. 

In  the  three  rooms  marked  /,  Figs.  32,  34,  and  35, 
the  fresh  incoming  air,  instead  of  entering  through 
a  register  in  the  side  wall,  enters  through  the  floor, 
which,  for  a  distance  of  7  feet  from  the  outer  wall, 
is  perforated  with  ^-inch  holes,  giving  over  94 
square  feet  of  floor,  having  50  holes  to  the  square 
foot.  These  holes  are  slightly  funnel-shaped  and 
20  are  estimated  as  equal  to  i  square  inch  of  clear 
inlet.  There  are  5,000  such  holes  in  each  room. 


160 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


The  arrangement  for  neating  purposes  in  these 
rooms  is  shown  in  Fig.  37,  which  gives  enlarged 
views  of  heating  chamber  H  C,  Fig.  35.  The  object 
is  to  supply  a  large  amount  of  air,  about  4  cubic  feet 
per  second,  to  each  inmate,  and  to  have  this  air  pass 
constantly  upward,  so  that  no  portion  of  it  shall  be 
rebreathed  or  come  a  second  time  in  contact  with 
the  patient,  thus  placing  him  in  the  condition  of 
being  out-of-doors  in  a  very  gentle  current  of  air. 
Fresh  air  is  admitted  either  directly  from  out-of-doors 


PART  VII.  —  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  KITCHEN  BUILDING 
SYSTEM.  GENERAL  PLAN  AND  SECTION,  AND  DETAILS 
OF  CHIMNEY  AND  FLUEj,  DESCRIPTION  OF  SYSTEM  IN 
THE  NURSES*  HOME,  TRANSVERSE  AND  LONGITUDINAL 
SECTIONS  OF  BUILDING. 

THE  kitchen  building  K.  Fig.  i,  is  75  feet  square 
and  three  stories  high  above  the  cellar,  and  contains 
the  main  steam  and  hot-water  boiler  batteries,  ma- 
chine shop,  room  for  a  future  electric  light  plant, 
bakery,  kitchen,  scullery,  refrigerator,  and  garbage^ 


through  conduit  J.or  underpressure  from  the  fan  con- 
duit through  branch  K.  The  figures  show  the  cold  air 
passing  directly  through  the  heating  coil  N  C,  regis- 
ter O,  and  perforations  M,  into  the  patient's  room  I; 
but,  by  turning  handle  Q,  rod  P  will  be  depressed 
and  close  register  O  and  turn  damper  S,  so  that  the 
cold  air,  instead  of  entering  duct  J,  will  pass  directly 
up  flue  R  and  through  regulating  register  N  into 
room  I,  or,  by  partly  depressing  rod  P,  the  hot  and 
cold  air  may  be  mixed  in  any  desired  proportions. 


rooms,  dining  rooms  for  housekeeper,  cooks,  assist- 
ants, etc.,  and  vaults  with  a  storage  capacity  of 
about  50  tons  of  coal. 

Referring  again  to  Fig.  8,  C  is  a  smoke  and  venti- 
lating chimney,  s'S'xs'S";  L  L,  etc.,  are  electric  light 
rooms;  E  is  a  fuel  elevator,  37x37  inches;  S  is  a  pipe 
shaft  for  riser  lines  in  this  building;  H  H,  etc.,  are 
heating  coils;  A  A  are  fresh-air  inlets,  42x42  inches; 
V  V  are  coal  vaults;  U  is  a  steam-pipe  tunnel,  s'6'x 
5V  high,  to  the  amphitheater  and  dispensary;  W  W 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


16t 


are  two  water  filters;  T  is  the  main  pipe  tunnel  (see 
Figs.  1,2,  and  3);  P  is  the  pump  for  house  tank;  D  is 
the  pump  for  steam  boilers;  G  G,  etc.,  are  smoke 
flues;  I  I,  etc. ,  are  fresh-air  conduits;  J  J,  etc..  are 
hot-water  boilers;  K  K,  etc.,  are  steam  boilers;  Z  Z 
are  the  26-inch  hot  water  mains. 

Figure  38  is  a  partial  section  through  the  building 
F  F  are  ventilating  flues,  and  the  other  reference 
letters  are  the  same  as  in  Fig.  8. 

Figure  39  shows  the  construction  of  chimney  C  at 
the  third  floor.  C  is  main  smoke  flue  from  boilers. 

In  the  section  Y  Y  the  left-hand  flue  measures  9x62 
inches  and  is  for  kitchen  ventilation;  the  upper  left- 
hand  flue,  9x34  inches,  is  for  the  kitchen  ranges.  The 
upper  middle  flue,  9x13  inches,  is  for  the  pastry  oven ; 
the  upper  right-hand  flue,  9x13  inches,  is  for  the  hot- 
water  boiler.  The  lower  flues,  9x30  inches,  are  for 
the  bake  oven;  the  gx24-inch  flue  is  for  the  bakery 
ventilation,  and  besides  there  are  several  other  venti- 
lation flues.  The  entrance  of  the  small  flues  into  the 
main  chimney  so  far  above  the  boiler  flue  is  intended 
to  prevent  any  irregularities  of  draft  in  the  kitchen 
and  bakery  fires  by  reason  of  variations  of  tempera- 
ture in  the  large  central  chimney  flue,  according  to 
whether  all  the  boilers,  or  only  a  portion  of  them,  are 
being  fired. 

The  nurses'  home  N,  Fig.  i,  is  90  feet  square  and 
four  stories  high  above  the  cellar,  and  contains  hot- 
water  boilers,  fuel  vaults,  storerooms,  dining-room, 
training  kitchen,  lecture-room,  sewing-rooms,  parlor, 
library,  and  apartments  for  superintendent,  nurses, 
etc.  In  the  center  of  the  building  is  a  ventilating 
chimney,  within  which  is  the  brick  smokestack  of 
the  boilers  in  the  cellar.  This  chimney  is  square, 
measuring  6  feet  3  inches  on  each  side  internally, 
and  having  walls  2  feet  thick.  The  thickness  of  the 
walls  of  the  internal  circular  brick  stack  is  8  inches. 
The  inside  diameter  of  the  circular  smokestack  is  4 
feet;  the  outside  diameter  5  feet  6  inches,  thus  giving 
15.3  square  feet  of  cle?r  area  for  ventilating  purposes- 
between  the  chimney  and  the  stack. 

The  building  is  heated  by  hot  water,  all  radiators 
being  in  the  cellar.  The  outlet  air  flows  from  the 
rooms  on  the  basement  floor  from  openings  on  the 
inner  walls  into  flues  which  run  downward  and  then 
horizontallj',  being  suspended  from  the  ceiling  of  the 
cellar,  and  enters  the  space  in  the  central  ventilating 
chimney  between  its  inner  surface  and  the  outer  sur- 
face of  the  central  smokestack.  The  ventilating 
flues  from  the  airing-rooms  on  the  upper  floors  pass 
upward  in  the  inner  walls  to  the  attic,  where  they 
unite  in  large  galvanized-iron  flues  which  enter  the 
central  chimney.  The  central  corridor  is  ventilated 
by  openings  direct  into  the  central  chimney. 

Figure  40  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  nurses'  home. 
C  is  the  ventilating  chimney;  H  V.  H  V  are  horizon- 
tal ventilating  flues,  30x36  inches  and  30x30  inches; 
V  V,  etc.,  ventilating  flues,  24x32  inches  and  48x48 
inches;  S  S,  smoke  flues;  L  A,  L  A  light  and  air 
shafts,  7x11  feet;  A  C  accelerating  steam  coils. 

The  laundry,  Fig.  i,  measures  56x115  feet,  and 
contains  boiler  and  engine  rooms,  washing  and  dry- 
ing rooms,  ironing-room,  hair-cutting  and  bed-making 


room,  airing-room,  dressing-room,  etc.,  and  disinfect- 
ing-room. 

Figure  41  is  a  cross-section;  S  C  is  one  of  two 
smoke  and  ventilating  chimneys  5  feet  square;  H  H 
are  boilers,  and  E  is  a  drying- room. 

PART  VIII. — SYSTEMS  IN  AMPHITHEATER,  DISPENSARY, 
PATHOLOGICAL  BUILDING  AND  BATHHOUSE,  SECTION 
OF  DISPENSARY  BUILDING  AND  DETAILS  OF  HEATING 
CHAMBERS  AND  VALVES  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  STEAM 
DISINFECTING  CHAMBER. 

THE  heating  of  the  amphitheater  and  dispensary 
is  effected  by  low-pressure  steam,  furnished  by 
boilers  at  the  kitchen  building  and  conveyed 
through  pipes  carried  direct  from  the  boiler  vaults 


to  the  amphitheater,  through  an  underground  tunnel 
8  feet  high,  specially  constructed  for  that  purpose. 
Steam  heating  was  selected  for  these  buildings  partly 
because  they  are  not  constantly  occupied,  and  it  is- 
desirable  to  have  the  means  of  raising  the  tempera- 
ture in  them  more  rapidly  than  can  be  done  by  the 
circulation  of  hot  water,  and  partly  because  it  wa& 
desired  to  have  the  means  of  careful  comparison  of 
the  two  systems  of  heating  for  experimental  and 
teaching  purposes. 

The  amphitheater  building  U,  Fig.  i,  is  91x75  feet 
square,  with  one  story  and  basement,  and  contains 
tho  amphitheater  room,  52x47  feet,  seating  280  per- 
sons; an  operating-room,  18x26  feet;  an  etherizing- 
room,  recovering-room,  surgeon's  room,  accident 


162 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


reception-room  a  three-bed  ward,  and  a  photog- 
rapher's room.  The  heating  of  the  amphitheater  is 
effected  by  steam  coils  placed  in  the  space  below  the 
seats,  the  fresh,  warm  air  entering  through  the  risers. 
The  foul  air  is  drawn  off  into  the  ventilating  chim- 
ney, 6  feet  square,  which  is  in  the  center  of  the  south 
side  of  the  building.  The  air  may  be  taken  into  this 
chimney  either  below,  near  the  floor,  or  above,  near 
the  ceiling. 

The  dispensary  O,  Fig.  i,  is  91x75  feet  square,  and 
contains  a  large  central  waiting-room,  52  feet  square, 
rooms  for  the  reception  of  general  and  special  dis- 
eases, bath  and  toilet  rooms,  a  pharmacy,  and  a 
janitor's  room.  It  is  heated  by  steam  coils  in  the 
cellar,  the  fresh,  warm  air  being  delivered  through 
the  risers  and  backs  of  the  benches,  as  shown  in  Figs. 
43  and  44.  The  temperature  of  this  air  can  be  regu- 
lated without  diminishing  the  quantity  by  the  use 
of  the  valves,  as  shown  in  Fig.  44.  The  extraction 
of  the  foul  air  from  the  dispensary  is  effected  by 
a  large  ventilating  shaft  on  the  south  of  the  gen- 
eral waiting-room,  this  shaft  being  6  feet  square 
internally.  The  air  may  enter  this  shaft  either 
through  a  large  opening  near  the  floor  level  or 
through  a  large  duct  which  communicates  with  the 
skylight,  and  its  flow  is  made  constant  by  means 
of  an  accelerating  steam  coil  placed  just  above  the 
upper  opening. 

Figure  43  is  a  section  through  a  brick  heating 
chamber  H  at  X  X,  Fig.  42.  Figure  44  is  a  section 
at  Z  Z,  Fig.  43.  The  hot- water  coils  C  C,  etc.,  are 
supported  on  iron  beams  I  I,  etc.,  on  columns  B  B, 
etc.,  and  are  connected  to  the  supply  and  return 
pipes  H  and  R,  etc.  As  shown  in  the  figures,  cold 
air  from  the  cellar  is  admitted  to  the  heating  cham- 
bers through  doors  A  A,  etc.,  and,  being  heated  by 
coils  C  C,  etc.,  passes  up  through  flues  K  K,  etc., 
and  is  discharged  under  seats  S  S,  etc.,  as  indicated 
by  the  full  black  arrows.  There  are  openings  O  O  in 
the  insides  of  the  flues  K  K,  that  are  closed  only  by 
the  dampers  D  D  in  the  positions  shown  in  Figs.  43 
and  44.  These  dampers  are  operated  by  shaf „  T 
which  turns  in  journals  Q  Q,  etc.,  and  is  controlled 
by  hand-wheel  E;  if  they  be  turned  to  the  position 
shown  by  broken  lines,  they  will  close  conduits  K  K 
to  the  heating  chamber,  and,  uncovering  the  open- 
ings O  O,  etc.,  admit  only  cold  air,  as  shown  by  the 
dotted  arrows. 

The  pathological  building  R,  Fig.  i,  is  58x78  feet 
square  and  two  stories  high,  besides  attic  and  cellar. 
It  contains  a  morgue,  waiting-room,  autopsy-room, 
private  research -rooms,  bacteriological  workrooms, 
laboratories,  museums,  photograph -rooms,  and 
rooms  for  keeping  animals.  The  building  is  heated 
by  steam  coils  in  the  cellar,  and  is  ventilated  by  two 
chimneys,  each  3'x3'x6"  square  and  provided  with 
steam  accelerating  coils.  The  autopsy  table  is  ven- 
tilated downward  by  a  tube.  A  cremation  furnace 
for  small  animals,  etc.,  is  provided  with  a  special 
ventilating  flue,  as  is  the  animal  room. 

The  bathhouse  Y,  Fig.  i,  is  about  65x31  feet 
square,  and  one  story  high  above  the  basement.  It 
is  heated  by  direct  steam  radiators,  and  ventilated 
by  a  central  chimney,  4  feet  square,  with  an  accel- 


erating steam  coil.  The  disinfecting  chambers  are 
situated  in  the  basement  of  the  laundry  building, 
and  comprise  two  rooms  so  arranged  that  the  cloth- 
ing, or  other  articles  to  be  disinfected,  when  taken 
into  one  room  A,  Fig.  45,  pass  thence  into  the  disin- 
fecting oven  C,  or  boiler,  from  which  they  are 
removed  on  the  other  side  into  another,  entirely  sep- 
arate room  B,  so  that  the  articles  which  have  been 
cleansed  and  disinfected  are  not  again  exposed  to 
infection. 

The  disinfecting  oven  is  made  of  boiler  iron  and 
has  double  shells,  into  the  space  between  which 
steam  may  be  forced  through  a  pipe.  It  is  also 
arranged  for  the  admission  of  live  steam  into  the 
interior  of  the  chamber.  It  is  of  an  elliptical  sec- 
tion, the  longer  diameter  being  perpendicular,  and 
is  7  feet  2  inches  long,  7  feet  5  inches  high,  and  5  feet 
4  inches  wide.  It  is  lined  with  wood,  and  has  wooden 
forms  on  which  the  mattresses,  clothing,  etc. ,  to  be 
disinfected  may  be  hung  or  placed.  The  ends  revolve 
on  vertical  axes,  and  are  supported  on  castings  run- 
ning on  circular  tracks.  The  ends  are  locked  by 
screw  handles.  There  is  also  placed  in  the  wall,  be- 
tween the  chamber  which  receives  infected  articles 
and  that  in  which  cleansed  articles  are  delivered,  a 
large  iron  kettle  or  caldron,  3  feet  3  inches  in  diame- 
ter, with  a  capacity  of  90  gallons.  This  is  a  double- 
jacketed  boiler,  heated  by  steam,  and  has  two  hemi- 
spherical covers,  one  opening  into  the  outer  and  one 
into  the  inner  room.  In  this  articles  of  clothing  or 
bedding  of  small  quantity  can  be^steamed  or  boiled, 
thus  avoiding  the  necessity  of  heating  up  the  large 
disinfecting  chamber  when  but  few  articles  are  to  be 
treated. 

PART  IX. — ARRANGEMENT  OF  BATH  BOILERS  AND  PIPING 
AND  HOT-AIR  CHAMBERS  IN  BASEMENT  OF  OCTAGON 
WARD,  DETAIL  OF  THERMOMETER  FITTINGS  AND 
SPECIAL  VELOCITY  APPARATUS  FOR  HOT-WATER  PIPES. 

FIGURE  46  is  a  perspective  view  of  one  ot  the  base- 
ment rooms  under  the  general  rooms  belonging  to 
the  octagon  ward.  (See  Figs.  29  and  30.)  A  is  a 
galvanized-iron  closet,  whose  door  is  removed  to 
show  within  the  boiler  B,  about  3x6  feet,  supplying 
hot  water  for  the  bathtubs,  washbasins,  and  nurses' 
use.  Cold  water  is  supplied  by  the  i-inch  pipe  C, 
and  is  heated  by  an  interior  steam  coil  which  receives 
live  steam  through  ^-inch  pipe  D.  Hot  water  is 
delivered  through  i-inch  pipe  H;  E  is  a  hot- water 
circulation  pipe;  H'  and  C'  are  distribution  branches 
of  hot  and  cold  supply  pipes  H  and  C  respectively; 
G  is  the  return  steam  pipe;  F  is  an  emptying  cock;  I 
I  I  are  steam  connections  to  steam  trap  J;  K,  L,  and 
M  are  soil  pipes  receiving  the  branches  from  water- 
closet,  urmal,  and  washbasin  lines  respectively;  N 
is  a  3-inch  riser  receiving  safe  wastes,  etc. ;  O  is  a  hot- 
air  chamber,  which  contains  a  radiator  coil  that  re- 
ceives hot  water  from  main  P  through  branch  Q,  and 
returns  it  to  main  R  through  branch  S. 

Figure  47  is  a  section  through  the  hot-air  chamber 
O,  Fig.  46;  T  is  a  cast-iron  hot-water  radiator  sup- 
ported on  iron  beams  U;  X  is  an  adjustable  damper 
controlling  the  admission  of  fresh,  cold  external  air 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


163 


through  inlet  W,  which  is  protected  by  an  iron 
screen  Y;  V  V  V  are  cast-iron  doors. 

For  purposes  of  experimental  observation,  ther- 
mometers are  fixed  at  various  points  in  the  flow  and 
return  pipes  of  the  hot- water  system,  in  order  to  de- 
termine the  temperature  of  the  water  at  various  dis- 
tances from  the  source  of  heat,  and  before  and  after 
it  has  passed  through  the  heating  coils  and  given  off 
some  of  its  heat  to  the  air  passing  up  between  the 
heating  surfaces.  The  thermometers  T,  Fig.  48,  are 
attached  to  special  connections  A;  they  were  designed 
by  Bartlett  &  Hayward  to  provide  a  position  for  the 
thermometer  bulb  and  would  keep  it  in  contact  with 
the  flowing  water  and  not  in  the  cooler  water  of  a 
dead  end. 

Figure  48  is  an  elevation  of  connection  A;  Fig.  49 
is  a  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  48;  and  Fig.  50  is  a  section 
at  Y  Y,  Fig.  49.  Water  enters  at  B,  and  passing 
around  diaphragm  E,  impinges  against  the  thermom- 
eter bulb,  which  is  close  to  opening  F,  and  circulates 
on  through  pipe  C.  D  is  a  plug  for  clearing  out  the 
chamber.  By  reversing  positions  of  plug  D  and  pipe 
B,  the  fitting  A  may  be  used  in  a  straight  pipe,  in- 
stead of  at  an  angle,  as  here  shown. 

Two  pieces  of  apparatus  have  been  inserted  in  the 
heating  system  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the 
velocity  of  the  current  of  hot  water  in  the  pipes  under 
various  circumstances  of  external  temperature,  and 
thus  obtaining  data  as  to  the  amount  of  water  pro- 
ducing a  given  heating  effect  in  a  given  time.  One 
of  these  is  placed  in  the  basement  of  the  octagon 
ward;  the  other  near  the  point  most  distant  from  the 
boiler  in  the  isolating  ward.  The  plan  of  this  appar- 
atus is  shown  in  Fig.  51.  It  consists  essentially  of  a 
"by-pass  connected  with  one  of  the  smaller  supply 


pipes  P  in  such  a  way  that  all  the  water  coming 
through  ttiis  pipe  can  be  sent  through  a  glass  tube 
having  the  same  diameter  as  the  pipe.  In  this  tube 
the  velocity  of  the  stream  can  be  measured  by  inject- 
ing from  A  a  small  quantity  of  colored  fluid,  such  as 
a  solution  of  carmine,  and  noting  the  time  required 
for  it  to  pass  a  measured  distance  in  the  glass  tube. 
Ordinarily  valve  B  is  open,  and  valves  C  C  are 
closed,  and  the  water  flows  directly  through  pipe  P 
without  entering  the  by-pass;  but  by  reversing  the 
valves  the  velocity  apparatus  can  be  put  in  operation 
whenever  desired.  With  a  temperature  of  92.6° 
Fahr.  in  the  flow  pipe,  and  85.4°  Fahr.  in  the  return, 
the  rate  ol'  flow  as  determined  by  this  apparatus  is 
13  5  feet  per  minute.  With  a  temperature  of  134.8° 
Fahr.  in  the  flow  pipe  and  129.7°  Fahr.  in  the  return 
the  velocity  was  found  to  be  16  feet  per  minute. 


THE  HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  THE 
WILLIAM  J.  SYMS  OPERATING  THE- 
ATER, WITH  TEST  OF  EFFICIENCY  OF 
THE  HEATING  COILS.* 

THE  problem  of  heating  and  ventilating  the  large 
number  of  hospitals  constantly  being  constructed 
and  remodeled,  in  civilized  communities,  is  one  of 
the  greatest  questions  that  engage  the  study  of  the 
sanitary  and  mechanical  engineer. 

Hospital  ventilation,  unlike  that  of  small  buildings, 
requires  large  quantities  of  pure  air,  and,  if  the  in- 
direct system  of  heating  is  used,  air  must  conse- 
quently be  introduced  at  a  low  temperature.  These 

*Graduating  thesis  of  Henry  D.  Whitcomb,  Jr.,  and  Henrv 
C.  Meyer,  Jr.,  of  the  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology,  class 
of  1892. 


LONGITUDINAL  SECTION  A-B 


HEATING   AND    VENTILATION    OF    THE    WILLIAM    J.    SYMS    OPERATING   THEATER. 


164 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


conditions  necessitate  the  use  of  fans  and  fan  engines 
to  force  the  fresh  air  to  various  parts  of  the  building, 
and  also  steam  and  hot-water  coils  to  heat  the  air  at 
some  point  in  its  passage.  Not  only  is  the  initial  cost 
of  such  a  plant  large,  but  the  cost  of  fuel  is  also.  Plans 
and  specifications  for  such  a  plant  might  be  easily 
prepared  by  an  engineer  .posted  in  such  matters,  but 
to  do  the  same  with  economy  is  the  question. 


Good  ventilation,  according  to  Dr.  John  S.  Billings, 
requires  the  admission  of  as  much  pure  air  as  is  nec- 
essary to  '  keep  the  vitiated  air  constantly  diluted  to 
a  certain  standard."  The  number  of  cubic  feet  of 
air  admitted  to  maintain  the  standard  varies  with 
the  use  to  which  the  building  is  to  be  put.  If  it  be 
a  hospital,  the  nature  of  the  diseases  of  the  patients 
effects  this  figure.  The  volume  of  air  admitted  must 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


165 


be  very  large,  the  air  must  be  at  a  moderate  temper- 
ature, and  have  a  low  velocity,  in  order  that  drafts 
may  not  be  perceptible.  It  must  not  be  supposed 
that  large  quantities  of  air  will  protect  a  patient 
from  disease  germs  floating  in  the  air,  but  it  will 
lessen  their  quantity  per  unit  volume,  and  hence 
diminish  the  chances  of  an  infection.  As  to  number 
of  cubic  feet  of  air  to  be  delivered  per  head  per  hour, 
authorities  differ,  General  Morin,  whose  figures 
are  often  quoted,  estimating  it  at  3.53°  cubic  feet 
for  hospitals  for  wounded,  and  5,300  in  times  of 
epidemic. 

As  a  notable  example  of  hospital  ventilation,  re- 
cently constructed,  we  have  selected  the  William  J. 
Syms  Operating  Theater  of  the  Roosevelt  Hospital, 
New  York  City.  The  structure  was  designed  by  Mr. 
W.  Wheeler  Smith,  Mr.  William  J,  Baldwin  being 
the  mechanical  engineer,  both  of  New  York  City. 
The  building  occupies  an  area  of  120x80  feet,  and 
consists  of  a  large  amphitheater  for  operating,  pri 
vate  operating-room,  instrument-rooms,  etherizing- 
rooms,  photographic-rooms,  bedrooms  for  patients 
about  to  be  operated  upon,  bath,  coat,  janitors' 
rooms,  etc.  The  operations  are  performed  in  the 
amphitheater  before  large  classes  of  medical  stu- 
dents, and  the  absolute  necessity  of  having  pure  air 
throughout  the  operations  makes  the  problem  of  the 
heating  and  ventilating  of  great  importance.  Owing 
to  the  many  novel  features  contained  in  the  plant  of 
this  building  it  was  decided  to  make  the  description 
of  these  the  subject  of  this  thesis. 

The  indirect  system  is  used.  The  cold  air  is  taken 
in  by  a  shaft  5x5  y2  feet,  running  from  the  roof  to  the 
"basement  and  then  passed  through  a  single  coil  of 
heating  pipes  into  the  fan  chamber.  These  primary 
coils  are  only  used  in  extremely  cold  weather.  At 
this  point  the  current  of  air  divides,  one  part,  to 
which  we  will  refer  later,  going  to  the  bedrooms, 
etc.  The  supply  for  the  amphitheater  is  drawn 
through  a  circular  opening  in  the  wall  into  the  heat- 
ing chamber  by  means  of  a  66-inch  Sturtevant  fan. 
The  heating  chamber,  shown  in  Fig.  3,  contains  six 
coils  of  pipes,  presenting  in  all  a  heating  surface  of 
546.3  square  feet.  Each  coil  has  its  own  service 
pipes  and  valves,  thus  enabling  the  engineer  to  turn 
on  as  many  coils  as  is  necessary  to  raise  the  incom- 
ing air  to  the  required  temperature.  The  coils  are  in- 
closed on  the  top,  bottom,  and  sides  with  galvanized 
sheet  iron.  One  end  is  open  for  the  admission  of  air, 
and  the  other  contracted  into  a  duct  through  which 
it  is  led  to  the  chambers  under  the  amphitheater. 
The  air  is  finally  delivered  to  the  amphitheater 
through  the  goose-necks  shown  in  detail  in  Fig.  i. 
These  are  4  inches  in  diameter  and  are  placed  under 
the  seats.  The  curved  form  is  used  in  order  that  the 
air  may  be  diffused  upon  the  floor,  and  so  not  place 
the  occupants  of  the  seats  in  a  draft.  One  hundred 
and  one  of  the  goose-necks  are  employed. 

The  entire  flooring  of  the  amphitheater  is  of  stone 
and  asphalt,  thus  permitting  it  to  be  washed  down 
with  a  hose  when  deemed  necessary.  The  curved 
form  of  the  goose-neck  also  prevents  the  water  from 
being  carried  into  the  air  chamber.  The  foul  air  is 
removed  by  an  aspirating  chimney  6x3  feet,  running 


from  the  top  of  the  side  wall  to  the  roof.  A  single 
coil  of  pipes  is  placed  in  the  shaft  to  stimulate  the 
circulation  of  air.  They  are  heated  by  the  exhaust 
steam  from  the  fan  engine. 

Mention  was  made  of  the  a;r  for  the  remaining 
parts  of  the  building.  This  is  taken  from  the  fan 
chamber  in  the  same  way  as  the  air  for  the  amphi- 
theater; it  also  passes  through  a  circular  opening 
into  a  heating  chamber.  It  is  driven  by  a  fan  sim- 
ilar to  the  one  before  mentioned  which  is  run  by  a 
separate  engine.  The  heating  chamber  is  the  same 
as  the  one  for  the  amphitheater,  except  that  it  has 
two  sets  of  coils,  each  one  being  the  same  size  as 
coil  No.  3. 

A  separate  set  of  ducts,  however,  running  parallel 
to  each  other,  lead  from  each  set  of  inclosed  coils 
to  the  various  register  heads  in  the  different  rooms 
and  parts  of  the  building.  The  intention  of  the 
double  duct  and  duplex  coil  system  is  to  supply  two 
currents  of  air  at  different  temperatures  to  each 
register  head,  the  sections  of  the  coil  in  one  cluster 
being  all  turned  on  or  nearly  so,  giving  the  tempera- 
ture of  about  110°  Fahr. ,  while  only  one  or  two  sec- 
tions of  the  other  have  steam  within  them  giving  a 
temperature  of  about  60°  Fahr. 

The  coils  in  each  cluster  are  of  equal  power  and 
surface,  so  that  should  the  hot  one  fail  or  be  out  of 
order  the  cold  ducts  can  be  made  to  supply  warmed 
air  to  the  hospital  rooms,  thus  minimizing  the 
chances  of  leaving  the  building  without  heat  through 
damage  to  the  coils  by  frost  or  otherwise. 

The  two  currents  flow  through  the  parallel  ducts 
to  the  registers  in  the  rooms,  and  are  there  mixed  by 
a  device  shown  in  Fig.  4.  A  movable  slide,  held  in 
position  by  grooves,  is  placed  over  the  ends  of  the 
ducts.  This  is  controlled  by  a  shaft  of  square  sec- 
tion, connected  by  a  double  lever.  To  the  outer  end 
of  the  shaft  a  lever  is  keyed.  The  slide  is  of  such  a 
size  as  to  entirely  cover  the  mouth  of  one  duct,  and 
by  moving  this  the  two  currents  of  air  are  mixed  to 
the  desired  temperature.  By  the  use  of  this  register 
any  room  may  have  any  temperature  within  the 
limits  of  the  air  in  the  two  ducts.  It  will  also  be  seen 
that  whatever  this  temperature  may  be,  the  volume 
of  air  admitted  will  be  constant.  The  registers  are 
placed  in  the  side  walls  about  7  feet  from  the  floor. 
The  outlet  register  is  placed  as  close  to  the  floor  as 
possible,  there  being  but  2  inches  between  the  lower 
edge  of  the  register  and  the  floor. 

The  fans  are  run  by  two  independent  Metropolitan 
engines  with  yxS-inch  cylinders.  The  boilers  of  the 
Roosevelt  Hospital  supply  the  coils  and  fan  engines 
with  steam;  the  steam  pressure  for  the  coils  being 
regulated  by  a  Davis  reducing  valve.  A  steam  gauge 
is  placed  upon  each  side  of  this  valve.  The  con- 
densed water  is  pumped  into  the  hospital  receiving 
tank  by  a  Worthington  duplex  pump  controlled  by 
a  pump  governor.  A  Davis  steam  trap  is  placed  be- 
•  tween  the  pump  governor  and  the  coils,  to  prevent  the 
live  steam  from  passing  through  the  pump  and  gover- 
nor, when  high  pressures  are  used.  The  cost  of  the 
building  was  $175,000,  and  of  this  $10,500  was  ex- 
pended in  the  heating  and  ventilating  apparatus 
described. 


166 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


THE  TEST   OF   THE   HEATING   COILS. 

A  test  of  value  of  each  successive  heating  coil  was 
made,  the  object  being  to  find  the  rise  in  tempera- 
ture of  the  air  when  1,000,000  cubic  feet  were  forced 
past  the  coils  per  hour  ;  this  being  the  figure  sought 
by  the  designer  of  the  plant.  The  test  was  made  on 
the  coils  for  the  amphitheater,  communication  to  the 


other  being  shut  off.  Five  tests  in  all  were  made  at 
2,  5,  10,  15, and  20  pounds  steam  pressure  in  the  coils. 
Unfortunately,  the  condensed  water  from  the  coils 
ran  in  with  the  drips  an-d  condensed  water  from  other 
parts  of  the  hospital,  and  its  temperature  and  volume 
could  not  be  ascertained.  We  were  thus  unable  to 
check  the  results  shown  by  the  thermometers. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


A  thermometer  was  placed  in  the  fan  chamber, 
about  2  feet  from  the  circular  opening  containing  the 
fan,  and  directly  in  the  line  of  the  shaft.  A  second 
one  was  placed  in  the  duct  leading  to  the  amphithe- 
ater, at  A,  Fig.  3,  about  3  feet  beyond  the  coil.  This 
was  done  by  punching  a  hole  in  the  duct  and  insert 
ing  a  cylinder  of  pasteboard.  The  thermometer, 
wrapped  in  cotton  waste,  was  placed  in  this.  To 
prevent  radiation  from  the  coils,  the  bulb  and  all 
of  the  thermometer  inside  of  the  duct  was  protected 
on  the  top,  bottom,  and  side  next  to  the  coils  by  thin 


boards,  nailed  together,  and  held  in  place  by  strings 
from  the  top  of  the  duct. 

The  thermometer  in  front  of  the  fan  was  unpro- 
tected during  the  first  three  tests,  and  then  it  was 
found  that  the  service  pipes  for  the  primary  coils, 
which  were  about  4  feet  away,  were  quite  hot,  and 
undoubtedly  caused  too  high  a  reading  for  the  air  at 
that  point.  The  results  were  therefore  thrown  out 
and  the  tests  made  over.  The  valves  to  these  coils 
were  tightly  closed,  and  the  feed  pipe  covered  with  a 
board.  The  thermometer  was  placed  in  the  pasteboard 


FIG.  2 


FIG.  I 


SECTION  THROUGH 
AMPHITHEATRE  FLOOR. 


IF.G.4 

MIXING  REGISTER. 


Fia3. 

-HEATINGOlAMBER: 
HEATING   AND    VENTILATION    OF    THE    WILLIAM   J.    SYMS    OPERATING    THEATER. 


168 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


cylinder,  which  was  cut  as  shown  at  b.  Fig,  2.  Hy- 
grometric  tests  were  made  at  the  middle  of  each 
test,  the  results  of  which  are  shown  in  Table  No.  3. 
Readings  of  the  thermometers  were  taken  every  10 
minutes  throughout  the  test,  until  their  difference 
was  constant.  The  revolutions  of  the  fan  were  also 
taken  at  the  same  time. 

To  determine  the  linear  velocity  of  the  air  in  pass- 
ing through  opening  into  the  heating  chamber, 
measurements  were  made  with  an  anemometer.  On 
taking  readings  it  was  found  that  the  person  holding 
the  instrument  interfered  greatly  with  the  current  of 
air,  and  it  was  afterward  placed  upon  the  end  of  a 
rod  about  6  feet  in  length.  There  is  a  spider  bear- 
ing in  the  opening,  consequently  the  velocities  at  all 
points  equally  distant  from  the  center  are  not  equal, 
nor  are  they  at  different  distances  from  the  center. 
Measurements  were  made  in  several  different  ways. 
The  first  consisted  in  moving  the  anemometer,  with 
as  uniform  a  speed  as  possible,  back  and  forth  upon 
different  radii  of  the  circular  orifice,  the  object  being 
to  start  at  a  certain  time  and  move  at  a  uniform 
speed,  back  and  forth,  on  the  radii,  and  at  end  of 
trial  arrive  at  the  starting  point.  Eight  of  these 
readings  were  taken  on  eight  different  radii,  giving 
a  mean  linear  velocity  of  1,307  feet  per  minute. 
Another  trial  was  made  by  moving  the  instrument 
in  the  manner  shown  by  c.  Fig.  2.  This  was  done 
for  five  minutes,  at  the  end  of  this  time  again  arriv- 
ing at  the  starting  point.  A  mean  of  two  trials  gave 
a  velocity  of  1,325  feet. 

The  opening  is  4  feet  in  diameter.  One  million 
cubic  feet  of  air  per  hour  passing  through  this  would 
have  a  linear  velocity  of  1,344  feet.  One  thousand 
three  hundred  and  sixteen  linear  feet,  the  mean  of 
the  trials,  is  0.979  °f  what  it  should  be  when  actually 
passing  1,000,000  cubic  feet,  and  taking  into  account 
the  friction  of  the  anemometer,  it  was  supposed,  dur- 
ing the  tests,  that  the  fan  was  passing  the  required 

amount. 

TABLE  No.  i. 

Actual  Rise  in  Temperature  for  Each  Coil  Section 
S  Square  Feet  in  Degrees  Fahr. 


TABLE  No.  3. 


NUMBER  OF  POUNDS  PRESSURE. 


2  Lbs 

5  Lbs 

ro  Lbs. 

15  Lbs. 

20  Lbs. 

One  coil  section  .... 

15.5 

r7  8 

23.0 

23.9 

30.0 

Two  coil  sections  
Three  coil  sections  ... 
Four  coil  sections  
Five  coil  sections  
Six  coil  sections  

24.7 
32.7 
39-2 
45-4 
S'-a 

26.3 
34-° 
40.7 
47-5 
54-3 

33-5 
4L4 
47-5 
57-4 
65.0 

34-0 
44.0 

52.4 
61.8 
69.5 

40.3 

49   5 
57-S 
66  6 
72.2 

TABLE  No.  2. 

Theoretical  Rise  in   Temperature  for  Each   Coil 
Section  of  91.05  Square  Feet  in  Degrees  Fahr. 


NUMBER  OF  POUNDS  PRESSURE. 


2  Lbs. 

5  Lbs. 

10  Lbs. 

15  Lbs. 

20  Lbs. 

One  coil  section  ... 

15.5 

18,0 

Two  coil  sections...  . 
Three  coil  sections  .  . 
Four  coil  sections...  . 
Five  coil  sections...  . 
Six  coil  sections  

24-7 
32.7 

39-2 
45-4 
51.2 

27.2 
35-z 
41-7 
47-9 
53-7 

32.4 
40.4 
46.9 

S3-' 

58.9 

33-3 
4T-3 
47  8 
54  o 
59-8 

39-4 
47-4 
53-9 
60.  i 
65.9 

READING  OF 

M     O 

7i 

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THERMOMETER 

O            *•* 

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a>  t«^ 

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"2  *^  8 

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o  f 

Ijf 

a  ^  - 

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Drv. 

Wet. 

u 

0! 

>8 

Grains. 

Pounds. 

62.5 

51  2 

3  352 

53  S 

436.45 

.536 

71.0 

5S.8 

3.850 

46.6 

501-30 

.466 

67-  •? 

55   I 

3.852 

52  7 

501.51 

.524 

sS  4 

50.0 

3.480 

63.1 

453.10 

.6,2 

79-5 

62.5 

4  680 

44-5 

609  .  30 

•443 

Table  i  shows  the  value  of  the  heating  coils  for 
91.05  square  feet  of  heating  surface.  Plate  i  shows 
Table  i  plotted  on  cross-section  paper,  the  abscissas 
showing  the  increments  of  temperature.  The  curves 
marked  A,  B,  C  D,  and  E  show  these  increments 
for  2,  5,  10,  15.  and  20  pounds  pressure.  The  tests  at 
two  pounds  seem  to  be  the  most  accurate,  each  incre- 
ment of  temperature  being  a  little  less  than  the  one 
before  it.  At  the  higher  pressures  the  temperature 
seems  to  be  too  high  after  turning  on  the  fourth  coil. 
The  temperature  of  the  sheet-iron  covering  for  the 
coils  at  this  point  seemed  to  be  higher  than  that  of 
the  air,  it  being  undoubtedly  due  to  direct  radiation 
from  the  coils  themselves.  This  seemed  to  affect  the 
readings  of  the  thermometer.  What  was  thought 
to  be  the  correct  curves  for  the  higher  pressures, 
assuming  that  the  rise  in  temperature  for  the  first 
coil  to  be  correct,  is  shown  on  the  right  side  of  Plate 
i,  and  marked  A1,  B1,  C1,  D1,  E1.  A1  is  simply  A 
moved  over  to  the  right. 

Table  2  is  made  from  these  curves.  The  same  per- 
centage of  moisture  is  understood  to  be  present  in 
A1  as  in  A,  B1  as  in  B,  etc. 

We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  W.  Wheeler  Smith,  the 
architect,  for  access  to  the  plans  of  the  building;  to 
Mr.  William  J.  Baldwin,  M.  E.,  for  details  of  the  ven- 
tilating plant;  and  to  Mr.  P.  A.  Sullivan,  engineer  in 
charge  of  the  Roosevelt  Hospital,  for  courtesies  ex- 
tended  while  making  the  test. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  THE 

ROYAL  VICTORIA   HOSPITAL 

AT    MONTREAL. 

THE  grounds  of  the  Royal  Victoria  Hospital  at  Mon- 
treal, Canada,  which  are  situated  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  Mount  Royal,  are  somewhat  irregular  in  shape, 
extending  for  a  distance  of  825  feet  along  the  street 
and  1,425  feet  back  in  a  direction  up  the  mountain. 
The  main  building  comprises  13  distinct  blocks 
connected  by  corridors.  The  administration  build- 
ing, forming  the  center  of  this  group,  is  flanked  on 
each  side  by  the  medical  and  surgical  wings,  both  of 
the  latter  extending  outward  toward  the  street,  thus 
inclosing  the  driveway  and  lawns  that  make  up  the 
approach  to  the  hospital. 

In  describing  the  ventilating  and  heating  appa- 
ratus only  that  pertaining  to  the  medical  wing  of 
the  building  will  be  taken  up,  as  the  apparatus  in  the 
other  buildings  is  entirely  independent  of  and  similar 
to  the  one  about  to  be  described.  The  medical  block 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


169 


is  composed  of  five  floors  known  as  the  basement, 
ground,  first,  second,  and  third  floors.  The  ground 
floor,  first  and  second  floors  each  contain  a  ward  for 
30  patients.  Attached  to  each  large  ward  are  the 
nurses' room,  day  rooms  for  convalescent  patients, 
the  ward  kitchen  and  a  separation  ward.  The  bath- 
rooms and  ward  offices  are  contained  in  the  round 
towers  at  the  ends  of  the  wards,  and  are  so  designed 
as  not  to  interfere  appreciably  with  the  outlook  from 
the  large  end  windows  and  balconies  provided  for  the 
use  of  the  patients. 

Adjoining  each  ward  block  and  connected  with 
them  by  cross  ventilating  corridors  is  the  staircase 
block  containing,  besides  a  broad  staircase,  patients' 
lift,  patients'  clothing  and  linen  closets.  In  the  rear 
of  this  block  is  another  containing  private  and  chil- 
dren's wards  and  medical  officers'  rooms.  The  last 
block  contains  a  theater  capable  of  seating  250 
students.  The  third  floor  contains  male  and  female 
private  wards. 

The  buildings  were  designed  by  Mr.  H.  Saxon 
Snell,  F.  R.  I.  B.  A.,  of  London,  England,  and  the 
building  erected  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  J. 
R.  Rhind,  of  Montreal.  The  heating  and  venti- 
lating plant,  which  was  designed  by  Mr.  Snell,  was 
modified  considerably  by  the  contractors  of  the 
plant,  Messrs.  Garth  &  Co.,  of  Montreal,  to  whom  we 
are  indebted  for  the  details  of  this  description.  The 
building  is  heated  throughout  by  hot  water,  partly 
by  the  direct  and  partly  by  the  indirect  systems. 
The  building,  which  is  250  feet  in  length  by  45  feet 
wide,  contains  370,000  cubic  feet,  which  is  warmed 
by  5,636  square  feet  of  surface  in  direct  radiators, 
1,997  square  feet  in  box  coils, "and  620  square  feet 
in  circulations,  making  a  total  of  8,253  square  feet 
of  heating  surface,  this  giving  a  ratio  of  about  i  to  45. 

Figure  i  is  the  basement  plan  and  Fig.  2  is  a  plan 
of  the  ground  floor  showing  the  various  wards,  etc. 
The  water  is  heated  in  three  sets  of  twin  boilers 
and  one  single  boiler  located  in  the  basement  as 
shown  on  the  plan.  A  section  through  one  of  these 
boilers  is  shown  in  the  sketch  Fig.  3.  The  flow 
and  return  pipe  from  each  boiler  are  connected  to 
an  8-inch  header.  Three  5-inch  and  one  2^-inch 
branches  from  this  header  lead  to  the  various  parts 
of  the  building  for  the  supply  of  the  direct  and  in- 
direct radiators.  Two  6-inch  branches  from  the 
header  mentioned  are  carried  into  the  administra- 
tion building.  On  each  of  these  branches  a  valve 
is  placed  and  close  to  the  valve  is  a  i^-inch  pipe 
with  valve  for  draining  the  system  of  water. 

The  air  supply  for  the  hospital,  after  passing 
through  a  fine  wire  screen,  enters  through  a  5x6- 
foot  opening  into  a  large  heating  chamber  in  the 
rear  of  the  boilers  in  which  the  air  is  slightly 
heated  by  the  smoke  flue  from  the  boilers  which 
passes  through  this  chamber.  The  air  is  carried 
from  the  heating  chamber  through  a  large  duct  under 
the  floor  until  it  reaches  a  point  (see  Fig.  i)  where 
it  branches,  each  branch  running  on  one  side  of  a 
large  extraction  trunk  to  the  farthest  end  of  the 
basement.  At  certain  intervals  indirect  coils  are 
placed  on  top  of  the  fresh-air  duct  or  trunk,  the 
opening  to  it  being  controlled  by  a  sliding  damper. 


Figure  3  represents  a  section  on  the  line  F  G  of 
Fig.  i,  this  line  passing  through  the  boilers,  their 
connections,  ducts,  and  indirect  stacks.  Each  indi- 
rect coil  contains  172  square  feet  oi  surface,  the 
coil  being  constructed  of  500  feet  of  i-inch  pipe. 
The  coils  are  encased  with  brick  at  the  ends,  and 
on  the  front  by  wood  lined  with  tin.  Three  ducts 
in  a  cluster,  each  14x14  inches  in  size,  lead  from 
each  coil  box  to  vertical  flues  of  the  same  size, 
which  are  built  in  the  side  walls  of  the  building. 
The  flues  terminate  in  the  wards  above,  the  regis- 
ter by  which  the  air  enters  being  12x12  inches,  and 
located  at.a  point  about  13  feet  above  the  floor. 

Figure  4  is  a  sketch  showing  a  section  through  the 
building  walls,  extraction  trunk,  etc.  The  two  foul- 
air  registers  on  each  upright  flue  are  2  and  5  feet 
above  the  flojr  level,  and  each  is  connected  to  the 
extraction  trunk  in  the  basement  by  a  flue  and  duct. 
The  smaller  wards  of  the  building  are  ventilated  in 
a  somewhat  similar  manner  by  using  recesses  in  the 
corner  of  the  closet-room.  A  vent  register  is  placed 
in  these  rooms,  and  is  connected  to  a  ventilating 
shaft.  The  main  extraction  trunk  in  the  basement 
terminates  at  the  base  of  a  vertical  vent  shaft  8  feet 
in  diameter.  In  this  shaft  a  smoke  pipe,  42  inches, 
in  diameter,  from  the  boilers  is  carried  up  to  the  roof. 
The  extraction  trunk,  which  measures  6x6  feet  on 
the  inside,  is  built  of  brick  and  lined  with  Keen's 
cement.  The  vertical  flues  are  lined  with  the  same 
material.  A  3-inch  air  space  separates  the  back  of 
the  flues  and  the  stone  wall  of  the  building. 

Each  boiler  (Fig.  3)  contains  500  feet  of  \V2  inch 
lap-welded  pipe  inclosed  in  brickwork.  A  12-inch 
smoke  pipe  from  each  boiler  is  connected  as  shown 
to  an  iron  flue  31  inches  in  diameter,  cast  in  several 
sections,  flanged  and  bolted  together.  One  end  of 
this  flue  is  provided  with  a  blank  flange  which  may 
be  removed  for  cleaning  purposes.  Each  12 -inch  flue 
is  provided  with  a  sliding  damper.  The  main  flue  is. 
carried  to  and  up  the  main  vent  shaft  before  men- 
tioned. One  side  and  the  bottom  of  the  heating 
chamber  are  built  of  brick,  while  the  other  side  and 
top  are  of  ^-inch  boiler-plate.  The  inside  of  the 
chamber  contains  four  vertical  diaphragms  of  boiler- 
plate extending  half-way  across  the  heating  cham- 
ber, so  that  the  air  in  passing  through  is  obliged  to 
pass  across  instead  of  parallel  to  the  main  smoke  flue. 

Two  Heine  Safety  boilers,  each  of  75  horse-power, 
fed  by  a  6"x4"x7"  Blake  duplex  steam  pump  and 
Penberthy  injector,  supply  steam  for  the  electric 
light  plant  and  steam  coils  in  two  cylindrical  boilers 
for  heating  the  water  for  the  house  supply.  .The 
cylindrical  boilers  are  48  inches  in  diameter  and  n 
feet  long.  At  one  end  of  each  of  these  boilers  a 
cast-iron  circular  frame  with  a  clear  opening  of  2  feet 
6  inches  is  riveted  onto  the  boiler  head.  A  cover  is 
held  on  the  frame  by  hinged  bolts.  This  cover  is. 
bored  to  receive  two  3  inch  brass  pipes  which  are 
connected  on  the  inside  to  a  coil  containing  500  feet 
of  seamless  brass  pipe  i  inch  in  diameter.  The  coil 
is  drained  by  a  i-inch  pipe  connected  to  a  No.  2  Nason 
steam  trap,  the  discharge  of  which  is  led  to  a 
4'6"x2'6"x2"  receiving  tank,  from  which  the  water  is 
pumped  back  into  the  Heine  boilers. 


iro 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


171 


172 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


The  exhaust  steam  from  the  electric-light  engine 
and  pumps  can  be  turned  into  this  brass  coil,  a  grease 
separator  being  used  to  collect  the  oil  in  the  exhaust 
steam.  The  buildings  are  lighted  altogether  by 
electricity  from  three  direct-acting  dynamos  and  twin 
compound  engines,  made  by  Messrs.  W.  H.  Allen  & 
Co.,  London,  England,  and  a  s8-cell  Crompton- 
Howell  storage  battery. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  THE  MT. 
VERNON,  N.  Y.,  HOSPITAL. 

THE  accompanying  drawings  show  the  ventilating 
and  heating  apparatus  of  the  Mt.  Vernon  Hospital  at 
Mt.  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  of  which  Messrs.  Boring,  Tilton 
&  Melen,  of  New  York  City,  were  the  architects. 
Mr.  E.  Rutzler,  of  New  York  City,  was  the  engineer 
and  contractor  for  the  heating  plant.  The  building, 
as  will  be  seen,  is  in  the  shape  of  the  letter  T.  It  is 
about  35  feet  on  the  front  by  65  feet  deep;  the  rear 
wing  is  about  75x25  feet. 

The  rear  basement,  Fig.  i,  contains  the  heating 
apparatus,  while  the  front  basement  contains  a  kit- 
chen, laundry,  storehouse,  and  dining-room  for  the 
servants.  The  first  story,  Fig.  2,  contains  two  large 
wards  and  an  operating-room,  besides  doctors'  rooms. 
The  second  story  and  attic,  Figs.  4  and  3,  which 
cover  only  the  front  wing,  contain  bedrooms,  pay 
wards,  and  the  servants'  quarters. 

The  heating  is  partly  by  the  indirect  and  partly  by 
the  direct  system.  A  vertical  tubular  steel  boiler  is 
used.  The  boiler  is  42  inches  in  diameter  and  5  feet 
in  height,  and  contains  1 10  2-inch  tubes.  The  shell 
of  the  boiler  is  encased  in  wrought  iron,  allowing  a 
space  of  4  inches  around  the  outside  of  the  shell.  A 
casing  of  galvanized  iron  is  also  placed  outside  of  the 
flue  to  prevent  radiation.  The  boiler  is  located  in 
the  center  of  the  rear  basement,  and  from  this  pipes 
lead  to  the  indirect  stacks  in  the  basement  and  to  the 
direct  radiators  in  the  different  parts  of  the  building. 
The  large  wards  and  the  operating-room  on  the  first 
floor  are  the  only  rooms  that  are  heated  by  the  indi- 
rect system.  This  is  accomplished  by  the  u?e  of  six 
indirect  stacks  distributed  throughout  the  basement, 
each  being  located  as  near  as  possible  to  a  window 
with  the  exception  of  the  stack  supplying  heated 
air  to  the  operating-room.  From  each  of  these 
stacks  horizontal  ducts  lead  in  opposite  directions 
to  vertical  flues  which  lead  to  the  ward  above. 
There  are  16  beds  in  the  two  wards,  and  a  sx8-inch 
vertical  supply  duct  leads  to  the  head  of  each  bed, 
the  air  being  discharged  toward  the  adjacent  wall. 


Figure  5  is  a  section  through  the  wall  of  the  build- 
ing showing  the  cold-air  duct,  indirect  stack,  and 
supply  duct  in  detail.  Each  cold-air  duct  has  its. 
separate  damper  with  brass  lever  weight,  quadrant 
and  pin,  so  that  the  damper  may  be  set  at  any  de- 
sired angle.  Figure  6  is  a  sketch  of  the  cast-iron 
hood  over  the  supply  ducts. 

The  air  is  drawn  from  the  wards  by  means  of  a 
i  ox  lo-inch  vent  register  set  in  the  floor  at  the  foot 
of  each  bed.  A  duct  leads  from  each  of  these  regis- 
ters to  a  main  duct  in  the  basement,  which  finally 
empties  into  a  vertical  vent  shaft  located  as  shown  on 
the  plan.  A  movement  of  air  is  maintained  in  this 
shaft  by  carrying  the  chimney  from  the  heater  up 
through  the  shaft.  In  the  summer-time  a  fire  is 
kept  burning  in  a  stove  in  the  basement,  the  smoke 
pipe  of  which  is  also  carried  up  in  the  vent  shaft,  and 
this  creates  the  draft  in  the  vent  shaft.  Five  circular 
registers,  each  20  inches  in  diameter,  also  serve  to 
ventilate  the  large  wards.  Ceiling  registers  and 
open  fireplaces  ventilate  the  other  rooms  in  the 
hospital. 

The  building  contains  n  direct  radiators,  distrib- 
uted as  shown,  presenting  a  total  radiating  surface 
of  508  square  feet.  The  basement  is  provided  with 
three  ceiling  coils  constructed  of  i^-inch  pipe.  The 
coils  are  suspended  from  the  ceiling  beams  by  cast- 
iron  saddles. 


A  WET  AIR-SCREEN  FOR  VENTILATING 
PURPOSES. 

IN  a  paper  describing  the  ventilating  and  heating 
system  at  the  Victoria  Hospital,  at  Glasgow,  re- 
cently presented  to  the  British  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  by  Mr.  William  Key,  an  ac- 
count was  given  of  the  method  of  air  filtration  there 
employed. 

The  fresh  air  is  drawn  by  propellers  down  an  inlet 
16x4  feet  feet;  the  mouth  of  which  is  placed  10  feet 
above  ground  level,  so  as  to  escape  dust.  The  air 
admitted  is  washed  by  passing  through  an  air-wash- 
ing screen  of  cords  formed  of  horsehair  and  hemp, 
closely  wound  over  a  top  rail  of  wood,  and  under  the 
bottom  rail,  forming  a  close  screen  16  feet  long  by  12 
feet  high.  There  is  a  constant  stream  of  water  trick- 
ling down  the  screen,  by  which  dust  and  soot  par- 
ticles are  removed  and  carried  away.  By  an  auto- 
matic flushing  tank  20  gallons  of  water  are  instanta- 
neously discharged  over  the  screen  every  hour. 


HEATING  OF  RAILWAY  SHOPS. 


STEAM-HEATING    PLANT   FOR   NORTHERN 
PACIFIC   RAILROAD  SHOPS. 

PART    I. — GENERAL    DESCRIPTION,  MAP    AND    DIAGRAM    OF 
MAINS. 

THE  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  has  recently  estab- 
lished extensive  repair,  machine,  and  car-building 
shops  at  Tacoma,  Wash.,  which  comprise  a  complete 
plant  for  construction  and  maintenance  of  rolling 
stock.  The  shops  occupy  a  large  area,  afford  em- 
ployment to  about  500  men,  and  were  constructed  at 
a  total  cost  of  more  than  $1,000,000.  The  designs 
were  in  accordance  with  very  careful  and  compre- 
hensive plans  of  Chief  Engineer}.  W.  Kendrick,  who 
aimed  at  a  thorough  and  perfected  equipment. 
Especial  attention  was  given  that  the  heating  system 
should  be  adequate  for  the  severe  conditions  imposed 
by  the  climate  and  the  location.  The  system 
adopted  was  of  a  steam  supply  from  a  central  battery 
of  boilers  through  a  principal  delivery  and  return 
main  to  the  branch  mains  of  all  the  principal  depart- 
ments, except  a  section  which  is  heated  by  engine 
exhausts,  and  the  isolated  round-house,  which  has  an 
independent  battery  of  boilers.  Excepting  the  office 
and  machine  shops,  which  have  cast-iron  radiators 
of  the  Joy  pattern,  the  radiation  is  chiefly  from  wall 
and  ceiling  coils  of  i-inch  wrought-iron  pipe  in  from 
•  six  to  12  branches.  The  distributing  main  is  carried 
in  a  stone- walled  trench,  and  the  submains  from  it 
to  the  different  buildings  are  chiefly  carried  beneath 
the  floor.  The  total  contract  price  for  the  heating 
was  about  $26,000  exclusive  of  boilers,  and  the  work 
was  installed  by  W.  F.  Porter  Company,  of  Minne- 
apolis, Minn. 

Figure  i  is  a  general  plan  showing  relative  size  and 
position  of  the  principal  buildings  and  indicating  the 
position  of  the  distributing  mains.  The  leading 
dimensions  are  as  follows:  Coach  repair  and  erecting 
shop,  two  stories;  cabinet  and  upholstering  depart- 
ments in  second  story,  100x243  feet;  wood-working 
shop,  90x152  feet;  engine-house  and  steam-heating 
room,  42x74  feet;  boiler-house,  42x76  feet;  coal-house, 
shaving  and  dust  tower,  19x76  feet;  chimney  (6-foot 
flue),  height  150  feet;  paint  shop,  90x242  feet;  paint- 
shop  storehouse  (two  stories),  35x90  feet;  freight  re- 
pair shop,  90x302  feet;  two  lavatories,  26x42  feet; 
double  dry  kiln,  40x72  feet,  machine  shop,  120x244 
feet;  engine-house  for  machine  shop,  40x40  feet; 
toiler,  tank,  tin  and  copper  shop,  80x321  feet;  black- 
smith shop,  80x192  feet;  coal  and  iron  storehouse,  28 
xiso  feet;  office  and  storehouse,  43x156  feet;  oil- 
house,  43x60  feet;  round-house,  first-class,  22  stalls; 
turntable,  length,  65  feet;  two  water  tanks,  each  49,- 
ooo  gallons;  ashpit,  length,  100  feet. 

The  system  consists  of  high-pressure  distributing 
mains  through  all  the  buildings  except  the  coach 


shop,  round-house,  planing  mill  and  engine-rooms, 
The  steam  is  taken  from  these  mains  at  each  of  the 
other  buildings  and  passed  through  a  pressure- 
reducing  valve  to  the  system  of  piping  of  each  build- 
ing, which  is  arranged  so  that  any  pressure  more 
than  required  to  return  the  water  and  less  than  press- 
ure on  mains  can  be  carried.  All  pipes  in  separate 
buildings  were  arranged  to  properly  drain  and  to 
discharge  all  water  of  condensation  formed  in  heat- 
ing surface  through  proper  traps  into  return  mains 
except  in  the  oil-house,  where  they  discharge  into  the 
sewer.  The  return  main  delivers  to  the  42"xio'  re- 
ceiving tank  in  the  tank-room. 


FIG.  2 


The  location  of  the  shop  buildings  proper  having 
been  changed,  while  the  round-house  was  left  on  the 
ground  originally  intended  for  the  shops,  it  was 
found  necessary  to  construct  two  separate  heating 
plants.  A  boiler  56  inches  in  diameter  and  22  feet 
over  all,  of  the  locomotive  type,  was  turnished  by 
the  railroad  company  and  fitted  by  the  contractor  to 
furnish  steam  heat  for  the  round-house.  The  main 
taken  from  this  boiler  has  a  pressure-reducing  valve 
and  is  large  enough  to  supply  steam  for  the  house 
when  its  walls  are  extended  to  a  tull  circle.  The 
water  of  condensation  is  taken  to  a  receiving  tank 
and  thence  pumped  hack  to  the  boilers.  The  boiler 
connection  is  made  in  such  a  manner  that  a  second 
boiler  can  be  coupled  on  to  it.  The  round-house  now 
contains  22  stalls  and  is  provided  with  5,280  square 
feet  of  radiation  and  piping  arranged  with  i^-inch 
pipe  coils  in  pits  four  pipes  high.  Besides  the  round- 
house a  small  oil-house,  about  20x30  feet,  is  heated 


174 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORDS 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


175 


by  this  system.  There  are  to  be  four  batteries  of  two 
Babcock  &  Wilcox  boilers  each  (only  three  batteries 
are  now  set)  in  the  main  system.  The  boilers  are  of 
the  locomotive  type,  furnished  by  the  railroad,  each 
having  84  tubes,  of  No.  10  wire  gauge,  3  inches  in 
diameter  and  12  feet  6  inches  long.  The  battery  of 
boilers  is  furnished  with  two  io"x6"xio"  Worthington 
type  duplex  steam  pumps  set  on  brick  foundations 
with  cut-stone  caps,  and  having  direct  live  steam 
pipe  connection  with  the  boilers  and  arranged  so  as 
to  feed  the  boilers  with  hot  or  cold  water. 

Live  steam  pipes,  separate  from  the  heating  pipes, 
are  run  from  the  boilers  to  the  engines  in  the  boiler 
shops  and  machine  shops,  with  live  branches  to  the 
pits  as  shown  on  plans;  also  a  steam  pipe  to  the 
blacksmith  shops  to  connect  with  steam  hammers. 
A  steam  storage  tank  of  sufficient  size  is  provided 
close  to  the  steam  hammers.  Live  steam  connections 
are  made  for  the  Corliss  engine  and  a  dynamo  en- 
gine in  the  engine-room.  The  exhaust  steam  from 
these  engines  is  used  for  heating  the  water  in  the 
Berryman  feed-water  heater.  The  steam  hammers 
exhaust  into  the  open  air.  The  exhaust  from  the 
engines  in  the  machine  shops  and  boiler  shop  is 
utilized  for  heating  these  buildings.  When  exhaust 
steam  is  used  for  heating,  the  water  of  condensation 
i-;  not  returned  to  the  general  receiving  tank. 
The  apparatus  is  arranged,  however,  so  that  live  or 
reduced-pressure  steam  direct  from  the  boilers  can 
be  used  in  the  whole  or  part  of  these  buildings,  and 
the  condensation  water  returned  to  the  boilers. 

The  heating  contractors  provided  a  Hughes 
Brothers'  pump,  set  on  a  brick  foundation  with  cut- 
stone  cap  in  the  pump-room  of  the  boiler-house,  and 
made  steam  and  water  connections  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  furnish  water  to  a  pressure  tank  for  the  general 
water  supply.  All  high-pressure  steam  pipes  are 
insulated  with  sheet  iron  and  air  space  (Flegle 
patent)  and  manilla  paper  covered  with  eight-ounce 
duck  and  painted  two  coats  where  steam  pipes 
are  conveyed  inside  of  buildings.  Steam  pipes  out- 
side of  building  are  carried  in  stone  trenches  covered 
with  plank.  Figure  2  shows  the  method  of  anchor- 
ing the  mains  in  the  trenches  as  indicated  at  various 
points  in  Fig.  i. 

PART  II. — PLAN  OF  BOILER-ROOM,  ELEVATIONS  OF  BOILER 
CONNECTIONS,  TANK  AND  PUMP-ROOM  CONNECTIONS 
AND  DETAILS  OF  RETURN  TANK. 

FIGURE  3  is  a  plan  of  the  boiler-room  containing 
the  main  battery  of  boilers,  which  furnish  steam  both 
for  general  heating  and  power  purposes. 

Figure  4  is  a  smaller  scale  diagram  of  different  ele- 
vations of  the  steam  main  and  boiler  connections. 
The  boiler-room  is  intended  to  receive  eight  boilers, 
six  of  which,  B  B,  etc.,  are  now  set,  and  room  is  left 
at  C  C  for  two  more.  They  are  supplied  through  the 
2-inch  pipe  A  with  water  from  the  feed-water  heater 
H  or  directly  from  pumps  P  P.  Each  boiler  has  a 
steam  connection  N,  controlled  by  an  angle  valve  M, 
to  the  main  D,  which  terminates  in  a  i2-inch  header 
F,  from  which  the  different  supplies  G  G,  etc.,  con- 
trolled by  valves  L  L,  are  taken  to  required  points. 
T  is  the  return  tank,  which  receives  the  water  of 


condensation  and  is  connected  to  the  pumps  by  pipes, 
which  are  omitted  in  the  drawing.  I  is  an  exhaust 
main.  E  is  a  blow-off.  S  is  the  iso-foot  smokestack. 
Pipes  A  D  and  E  have  plugged  tees  for  future  con- 
nections with  the  two  boilers  yet  to  be  set. 

Figure  5  is  a  diagram  not  drawn  to  exact  scale  or 
position,  but  intended  to  show  clearly  the  principal 
connections  in  the  tank-room  and  how  the  returns 
enter  the  main  tank.  This  tank  is  42  inches  in  diam- 
eter by  10  feet  long,  and  is  provided  with  a  gauge 
glass,  manhole,  etc.  The  pumps  may  draw  directly 
from  this  tank  or  through  the  independent  suction 
pipe  A  from  the  city  mains,  and  then  delivery  may 
pass  through  the  heater  or  through  the  by-pass  and 
back-pressure  valve  B  to  the  boiler  supply  pipe  C. 
Figure  6  shows  the  connections  to  the  return  tank. 

PART  III. — SYSTEM  IN  THE  OFFICE,  RISERS,  FLOOR  PLANS, 
RADIATORS,  AND   CONNECTIONS   OF  TRAPS. 

*  THE  buildings  are  heated  when  the  outside  tem- 
perature is  at  zero  to  the  following  temperatures  : 
Wood-working  shop,  55  degrees;  coach  shop,  55  de- 
grees; boiler,  tank  and  copper  shop,  55  degrees;  ma- 
chine shop,  55  degrees;  lavatories,  50  degrees;  oil- 
house,  50  degrees;  paint  shop,  60  degrees;  paint  shop 
stock-room,  60  degrees;  round-house,  60  degrees; 
office,  70  degrees.  All  pipes  are  valved  both  at  the 
source  of  supply  and  at  the  point  of  delivery  with 
angle  or  globe  valves  ot  standard  make.  Each  coil 
of  circulation  is  provided  with  steam  supply,  return, 
by-pass  and  air  valves. 

The  office  building  is  heated  with  upright  tube 
radiators  with  oval  tops,  the  valves  having  nickel- 
plated  trimmings  and  rosewood  handles.  There  are 
1,000  square  feet  of  radiation  in  the  office,  piped  so  it 
can  be  run  at  high  or  low  pressure  with  pressure  reg- 
ulator, traps,  etc. 

Figure  7  is  a  basement  plan  of  the  office  building 
showing  the  steam  mains  and  risers,  the  vertical 
pipes  being  conventionally  indicated  by  oblique  lines. 
The  supply  pipes  are  shown  in  full  black  lines  and 
the  return  pipes  are  throughout  lines  broken  with 
one  dot.  Figures  8  and  9  show  the  arrangement  of 
radiators  on  the  first  and  second  office  floors  respect- 
ively. The  radiators  are  indicated  by  black  rectangles 
and  their  size  and  superficial  area  and  the  size  of 
pipe  is  marked  on  each.  One  steam  trap  is  placed  on 
the  return  from  the  office  system  as  indicated  at  T, 
Fig.  7.  When  the  return  pipe  is  over  2  inches  in 
diameter,  two  traps  are  placed  as  shown  in  Fig.  jo. 

There  are  in  all  18  traps  used,  three  of  which  are 
located  in  the  machine  shop,  two  in  the  lavatories, 
one  in  the  oil-house,  two  in  the  freight  repair  shops, 
three  in  the  paint  shop,  two  in  the  storeroom  three 
in  the  boiler  shop,  one  in  the  office,  and  one  in  the 
engine-room. 

PART  IV.— SYSTEM   IN   THE     PAINT     SHOP,    PAINT     STORE- 
ROOM,   MACHINE   SHOP,   AND    BOILZR   SHOP. 

THE  paint  shop  has  4,400  square  feet  of  radiation 
in  coils.  No  exhaust  steam  is  utilized,  any  pressure 
can  be  carried,  and  all  water  is  returned  to  the  tank. 
The  paint  storeroom  has  1,160  square  feet  of  radia- 
tion arranged  in  coils  10  pipes  high  on  the  first 


176 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


floor  and  eight  on  the  second  floor  and  piped  the 
same  as  the  paint  shop.  Figure  n  is  a  diagram  plan 
of  the  first  floor  of  the  shop  and  storeroom  showing 
size  and  location  of  mains  and  the  arrangement  cf 
coils  and  radiators.  The  radiators  are  indicated 
by  solid  black  squares.  A  is  a  lo-branch  vertical 
coil  of  i-inch  pipe  on  the  wall  below  the  windows, 
one  branch  being  outside  the  valves  so  as  to  serve 
for  circulation.  The  supply  and  return  pipes  are  laid 
in  trenches,  accessible  by  removing  loose  sections  of 
the  floor.  In  the  storehouse,  B  is  a  lo-branch  verti- 
cal coil  of  i -inch  pipes  on  the  wall  below  the  first- 
story  windows;  C  is  an  eight-branch  vertical  coil  of 
i-inch  pipe  on  the  wall  below  the  first-floor  windows, 
and  D  is  an  eight-branch  horizontal  gridiron  coil  of 
i-inch  pipe  below  the  sinks  on  the  first  floor.  These 
coils,  together  with  similar  eight-branch  i -inch  ver- 
tical wall  coils  E  E,  in  the  second  story,  are  shown 
in  perspective  in  Fig.  12.  Figure  12  is  a  view  from 
Z  Z,  Fig.  ii.  In  all  coils  one  branch  is  left  out- 
side the  valves  for  the  purpose  already  stated. 
Figure  13  is  a  vertical  elevation  from  X  X,  Fig.  11, 


of  coil  A.  Figure  14  is  a  plan  of  the  machine  shop 
showing  the  size  and  location  of  mains  and  the  ar- 
rangement of  radiators  and  coils.  A  is  a  lo-branch 
vertical  coil  of  i-inch  pipe  on  the  wall  under  the  win- 
dows, B  is  a  similar  eight-branch  coil,  D  is  a  back- 
pressure valve  on  connection  to  the  engines.  Figure 
15  is  a  vertical  section  of  <he  coil  A,  Fig.  14.  All  the 
radiators  contain  84  feet  of  surface  each. 

The  machine  shops  and  boiler  shops  are  arranged 
so  that  the  exhaust  steam  of  the  engines  can  be  used 
for  warming  and  supplemented  by  live  steam 


'Same  size  as  Return  from  Coils 


Main  Return  in  Trench. 

THE  cncmecRiNc  RECOB 


FiG.3 


STEAM-HEATING   PLANT   IN   THE   NORTHERN   PACIFIC   RAILROAD   SHOPS     TACOMA,    WASH. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- 


HE  AT  JNG  PRACTICE. 


177 


through  a  pressure-reducing  valve  if  necessary. 
When  exhaust  steam  is  used,  the  condensation  can 
be  discharged  into  the  sewer  through  traps.  The 
piping  is  so  laid  out  that  all  the  steam  can  be  taken 
through  a  pressure-reducing  valve  when  it  is  not  de- 
sirable to  utilize  the  exhaust,  but  in  case  that  is  done 
all  water  is  returned  to  the  receiving  tank  through 
traps  and  return  mains. 

The  machine  shop  has  4,300  square  feet  of  radia- 
tion consisting  of  i, 600  square  feet  of  coils  on  three 
sides  and  2,700  square  feet  of  gridiron  coils  arranged 
overhead.  The  supply  mains  are  run  overhead 
and  the  returns  are  brought  back  above  the  floor. 
The  boiler  shop  has  4,200  square  feet  of  radiation 
divided  into  two  horizontal  overhead  coils  as  shown 


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179 


by  the  general  plan,  Fig.  22,  where  A  A  are  globe 
valves  with  hose  nipples  for  supplying  steam  for 
tests,  etc.,  and  V  V,  etc.,  are  globe  valves  with  ex- 
tension vertical  stems.  All  the  valves  on  the  returns 
are  tapped  for  i^-inch  petcocks.  The  traps  are  set 
on  the  floor  and  the  coils  are  connected  as  shown  in 
Fig.  24,  which  is  a  perspective  diagram  from  Z  of  the 
supply  ends  of  coils  B  B. 

PART  V. — FREIGHT  REPAIR   SHOPS    AND    LAVATORIES. 

THE  freight  repair  house  is  302x90  feet  in  size,  one 
story  high.  The  specification  provided  that  it  should 
••be  warmed  by  4,100  square  feet  of  radiation  ar- 


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THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Figure  17  shows  the  arrangement  of  the  coils,  and 
Figs.  1 8  and  19  show  the  connections  at  the  supply 
and  return  ends  respectively.  S  is  the  4-inch  main 
supply  pipe,  and  R  is  the  2  inch  main  return.  A  is  a 
i- inch  drip  pipe  from  supply  branches,  and  E  is  the 
2-inch  return  pipe  from  the  ceiling  coils.  T  T  are 
traps.  W  is  the  4-inch  main  gate  valve.  P  is  a  3-inch 
pressure  regulator.  D  D  are  i^f-inch  angle  valves 
4  feet  from  the  floor.  CCare^-inch  petcocks,  and 
V  V  are  3-inch  globe  valves  with  extension  stems  on 
the  wall. 

Figure  20  is  a  diagram  showing  the  arrangement 
of  the  radiator  system  finally  adopted  in  place  of  the 
overhead  coils.  Each  radiator  is  composed  of  14  sec- 
tions of  standard  height,  and  is  connected  to  the 
supply  with  a  2-inch  arm  and  a  i^-inch  stub  and 
valve.  The  variations  in  the  length  of  the  pipe, 
nearly  300  feet  long,  through  temperature  changes 
are  so  great  that  the  radiators  were  made  free  to 
conform  to  the  different  positions  by  being  each 


mounted  on  four  iron  casters. shown  in  Fig.  21.  The 
casters  had  slots  S,  just  fitting  the  bottom  of  a  radi- 
ator section,  and  the  wheel  W  ran  on  an  iron  bed- 
plate P  screwed  to  the  floor. 

Figure  23  is  an  isometric  diagram  of  the  horizontal 
radiator  coils  in  the  lavatories.  They  are  overhead, 
and  the  supply  and  return  mains  S  and  R  are  carried 
in  a  trench  beneath  the  floor.  The  trap  T  and  a 
pressure  reducing  valve,  not  here  shown,  are  located 
in  an  accessible  brick  well.  The  lavatories  have  each 
250  square  feet  of  radiator  service. 

PART  VI. — WOOD-WORKING.     COACH,    CABINET,    AND    UP- 
.HOLSTERY    SHOPS,    AND   OIL-HOUSE. 

FIGURE  24  is  a  plan  of  the  radiators  and  mains  in 
the  wood-working  shops,  which  are  heated  by  low- 
pressure  steam  and  the  condensation  returned  to  a 
receiving  tank.  The  coach  shop,  planing  mill,  and 
engine-room  are  also  heated  by  low  pressure  provided 
either  through  a  pressure  reducing  valve  or  by  the 
exhaust  steam  of  the  Corliss  and  dynamo  engines, 


and  return  all  water  of  condensation  to  the  receiving 
tank. 

The  coach  shop  is  provided  with  3,600  square 
feet  in  coils,  2,200  on  the  first  floor  and  1,400  on  the 
second  floor.  The  planing-room  or  wood  shop  is 
provided  with  1,200  square  feet  in  coils.  Figure  25  is 
a  diagram  plan  of  the  first  floor,  showing  horizontal 
overhead  radiator  coils  at  each  end  of  the  coach  shop 
and  the  location  of  the  radiators,  each  of  which  is 
34^x10  inches.  The  cabinet  and  upholstering  shops 
are  in  the  story  above  the  coach  shop,  and  are  heated 
by  overhead  horizontal  coils  as  shown  in  Fig.  26, 
which  shows  them  in  plan  with  an  isometric  projec- 
tion of  the  supply  and  return  mains  S  and  R  from 
the  lower  floor,  Fig.  25. 

The  oil-house  is  warmed  with  550  square  feet  of 
direct  radiation  placed  in  the  form  of  horizontals  or 
gridiron  coils  run  about  8  feet  above  the  floor.  Figure 
31  is  an  isometric  diagram  showing  the  arrangement 
of  coils  and  mains  in  the  basement  and  first  floor. 
The  supply  from  main  S  passes  through  pressure 
regulator  P,  and  is  delivered  by  branches  B  andC  to 
the  coils,  of  which  D  D  D  are  vertical  ones  on  the 
walls  of  the  first  story,  and  A  is  a  horizontal  one  in 
the  basement.  The  return  and  condensation  water 
is  discharged  through  trap  T  to  the  sewer. 

Figure  27  is  a  diagram  of  the  general  method  of 
taking  a  supply  S  for  the  radiation  in  any  building 
from  the  main  M  in  the  trench.  It  is  controlled  by 
an  angle  valve  V,  beyond  which  a  j^-inch  petcock  C 
drains  the  riser  R,  which  extends  upward  along  the 
wall  to  a  point  above  the  ceiling  coils,  where  its  tee 
E  receives  the  branches  to  the  coils. 

Figure  28  shows  the  wrought-iron  plate  I  which 
supports  overhead  pipes  P  P,  so  as  to  swing  freely 
in  chains  C  C  which  unite  in  a  ring  R  secured  to  the 
roof  or  floor  joist  above. 

Figure  29  shows  another  convenient  method  used 
to  support  the  suspender  S  by  a  2xJ^-inch  strap  L 
screwed  directly  to  the  timber  above. 

Figure  30  shows  how,  in  the  machine  shop,  the 
radiators  are  set  behind  the  work  bench,  in  the 
corners  by  the  buttresses  B,  and  have  their  tops 
covered  by  a  galvanized-iron  hood  H.  Throughout 
the  buildings  each  coil  is  provided  with  by-pass  and 
supply  and  return  valves  as  well  as  each  main  line 
of  piping.  The  dry  kiln  is  heated  by  high-pressure 
steam,  and  the  condensation  water  is  returned  to  the 
receiving  tank.  The  Corliss  engine-room  is  warmed 
by  400  square  feet  of  radiators.  There  are  provided 
ii  3^-inch  branches  with  ^-inch  compression  bibbs 
in  the  paint  shop,  and  a  ^-inch  bibb  for  each  sink  in 
the  stock-room. 


STEAM    HEATING    IN     THE    BOSTON    AND 
ALBANY  RAILROAD  STATIONS  AT 

SPRINGFIELD,    MASS. 

WE  show,  in  the  accompanying  cuts,  foundation 
plans  of  the  adjoining  stations  at  Lyman  and  Liberty 
Streets,  Springfield,  Mass.,  of  the  Boston  and  Albany 
Railroad  Company,  illustrating  the  main  features  of 
the  steam-heating  system  with  which  they  were 
equipped  by  Messrs.  Norcross  -Brothers,  of  Spring- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 

"t^vNNNWsXV  xv\V 


181 


182 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


field,  under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  E.  M.  Har- 
ding, now  with  the  United  States  Heating  and 
Plumbing  Company,  of  Boston,  Mass. 

The  boilers,  which  are  of  the  Hennessy  triple-draft 
pattern,  designed  for  using  oil  fuel  on  the  plan  of  the 
Aerated  Fuel  Company,  of  Springfield,  are  located 
in  a  detached  boiler  house,  about  1,000  feet  west  of 
the  two  stations,  and  carry  a  pressure  of  80  pounds, 
supplying,  as  they  do,  steam  for  electric  light  engines 
also.  The  boilers,  four  in  number,  are  all  connected 
with  one  lo-inch  steam  drum,  from  which  the  supply 
pipes  for  heating  and  power  are  taken. 

The  steam  for  heating  is  used  at  reduced  pressure 
— not  over  five  pounds — both  direct  and  indirect  radi- 
ation being  employed,  with  gravity  return.  The 
stacks  of  indirect  radiators  are  designated  by  the  let- 
ters H,  the  numerals  at  the  right  indicating  the 
number  of  sections.  These  are  of  cast  iron,  with 
extended  surface  suspended  from  the  ceiling  by 
heavy  wrought-iron  hangers.  Each  stack  is  incased 
in  two  thicknesses  of  wood,  consisting,  first,  of  a  box 
of  sound  flooring  lined  with  tin,  the  bottom  being 
removable;  and  second,  of  an  outer  covering  of 
matched  and  beaded  stuff,  with  a  layer  of  heavy 
building  paper  between,  put  together  with  screws. 
The  air  supply  to  the  stacks  for  the  smoking-rooms, 
restaurants,  and  women's  waiting-rooms,  on  each 
side  of  the  middle  portions  of  the  buildings,  is  taken 
direct  from  the  outside;  for  the  main  waiting-rooms 
in  the  middle,  however,  a  system  of  interior  circula- 
tion has  been  adopted,  the  air  being  taken  from  the 
rooms  through  registers  F  in  the  floor  at  convenient 
points,  passed  through  the  radiator  stacks,  and  dis- 
charged again  into  the  rooms.  It  is  thought  that  a 
sufficient  supply  of  fresh  air  to  these  rooms  is  main- 
tained by  the  continual  opening  and  closing  of  the 
doors  leading  to  the  outside. 

The  fresh  air  supply  is  led  through  ducts  D,  along 
the  basement  ceiling.  Each  duct,  where  connecting 
with  the  outside,  has  a  galvanized  wire  screen,  and 
near  the  inlet  to  the  stacks  H,  has  a  balanced  damper 
arranged  to  work  automatically  by  the  pressure  of 
the  steam.  The  ducts  consist  of  matched  and  beaded 
stuff.  The  dampers  have  the  obvious  advantage  of 
stopping  the  supply  of  fresh,  cold  air  to  the  stacks 
as  soon  as  the  steam  is  cut  off,  and  there  is  thus  no 
danger  of  freezing  of  the  radiators.  Under  each  floor 
register,  between  it  and  the  coil,  is  suspended  a  pan 
of  galvanized  iron,  as  a  receptacle  for  any  dirt  that 
may  drop  through  the  grating.  These  pans  can  be 
removed  for  cleaning. 

The  steam  main  from  the  boilers  to  the  buildings 
is  6  inches  in  diameter,  underground,  and  has  a 
branch  with  a  reducing  valve  and  by-pass.  From  it 
two  4-inch  mains  are  taken  to  the  two  buildings. 

The  piping  in  both  buildings  is  practically  the  same. 
The  steam -supply  pipes  are  shown  by  double  lines  in 
the  illustrations,  and  are  marked  S,  while  the  return 
pipes  R  are  in  full  black.  The  steam  mains,  starting 
with  a  4-inch  diameter,  continue  along  the  basement 
ceilings,  reducing  gradually  in  size,  as  indicated,  as 
branches  are  taken  off  for  the  various  coils  and 
radiators,  to  2  inches  at  the  far  ends  of  the  build- 
ings. The  return  mains,  in  both  cases,  start  at  the 


left-hand  ends,  ij,/  inches  in  diameter,  and  also  run 
along  the  basement  ceiling,  increasing  gradually  as 
connections  are  made  to  them,  to  2  inches  at  the 
other  ends.  From  these  ends  the  two  main  returns 
are  brought  back,  retaining  that  size,  and  are  joined 
in  one  2'/2-inch  pipe,  which  is  carried  to  the  boiler- 
room  independently  on  the  same  line  followed  by  the 
steam-supply  pipe,  and  is  trapped  into  a  tank. 

The  steam  and  return  mains  from  the  boiler-house 
are  carried  in  masonry  trenches.  At  intervals  of  200 
feet  along  the  line  of  these  trenches  are  manholes  of 
masonry  with  stone  coping  and  cast-iron  covers. 
Drainage  of  water  from  the  trenches  is  secured  bv 
means  of  earthenware  tile  pipe  in  the  bottom,  with 
proper  outlet  connections. 

Expansion  joints  are  provided  in  the  pipes  at  every 
200  feet.  Expansion  of  the  mains  in  the  buildings  is 
allowed  for  by  offsets,  as  shown.  All  the  under- 
ground pipes  are  covered  with  asbestos  cement,  and 
all  steam  and  return  pipes  in  the  buildings,  above 
2^-inch  in  diameter,  are  also  provided  with  non-con- 
ducting covering. 

The  direct  radiation  consists  of  i-inch  wrought-iron 
pipe  wall  coils,  and  of  Bundy  loops. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  A  ROUND- 
HOUSE AND  RAILROAD  SHOP. 
THE  accompanying  illustrations  show  the  system 
just  installed  for  heating  and  ventilating  some  large 
buildings  of  the  Chicago  and  Grand  Trunk  Railway 
at  Port  Huron,  Mich.  Figure  i  is  a  plan  of  the  26- 
stall  round-house,  Fig.  2  is  a  plan  of  the  paint  shop, 
and  Fig.  3  is  a  cross-section  at  Z  Z  Z,  Fig.  2.  The 
paint  shop,  Fig.  2,  contains  894,000  cubic  feet  and  has 
a  No.  80  heater  N,  with  a  72-inch  fan,  which  will  de- 
liver from  34,000  cubic  feet  of  air  at  1,200  feet  velocity 
per  minute  to  146,000  cubic  feet  at  5,175  feet  velocity 
(one  ounce  pressure).  The  round-house  C,  Fig.  i, 
contains  828  cubic  feet  and  has  a  No.  60  heater  E 
with  6o-inch  fan,  which  will  deliver  from  23,000 cubic 
feet  of  air  at  a  velocity  of  1,200  feet  per  minute  to 
101,500  cubic  feet  at  5,175  feet  velocity  (one  ounce 
pressure).  In  connection  with  the  round-house  is  a 
machine  shop  B,  which  contains  220,100  cubic  feet 
and  an  office  building  A,  containing  90, 500  cubic  feet, 
making  a  total  of  310  600  cubic  feet.  These  (the 
machine  shop  and  the  office  building)  have  a  No.  30 
heater  F,  with  a  42-inch  fan,  which  will  deliver  from 
11,500  cubic  feet  of  air  at  1,200  feet  velocity  per 
minute  to  49,700  cubic  teet  at  5,175  feet  velocity  (one 
ounce  pressure).  The  No.  So  apparatus  contains 
8,000  lineal  feet  of  i-inch  pipe,  and  its  72-inch  fan  is 
capable  of  delivering  60,000  cubic  feet  of  air  every 
minute  at  an  expense  of  about  12  horse-power,  which 
is  furnished  by  a  directly-attached  vertical  engine, 
manufactured  by  the  Huyett&  Smith  Manufacturing 
Company,  Detroit. 

This  shop  was  entirely  completed  before  the  appar- 
atus was  installed,  but  has  no  piping  save  what  is 
necessary  to  carry  the  air  across  the  end  of  the  room 
at  which  it  enters,  and  the  variation  of  the  heat  in 
the  different  ends  of  the  room  is  said  to  seldom  ex- 
ceed 3°  Fahr. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


183 


In  Fig.  i  the  fresh  air  is  taken  from  outdoors  at  K, 
and,  passing  through  the  heater  E,  is  distributed 
through  the  mains  H  H,  laid  in  a  trench,  to  the  out- 
lets L  L,  etc.,  which  deliver  it  around  the  circum- 
ference of  the  building  and  are  intended  to  prove 
equally  efficient  at  all  points  by  the  expedient  of 
making  those  most  remote  from  the  fan  of  larger 
diameter. 

Figure  4  is  an  enlarged  section  at  Z  Z,  Fig.  i,  show- 
ing the  arrangement  in  the  pit  P.  The  outlet  L  has 
a  movable  joint  Q,  which  may  be  set  in  any  position 
so  as  to  discharge  the  hot  air  in  any  direction  under- 
neath an  engine  that  may  be  over  the  pit,  and  thus 
melt  off  snow  and  ice  and  facilitate  the  cleaning  of 
the  engines. 

In  Fig.  i  additional  branches,  not  here  shown,  are 
connected  to  the  main  G  to  distribute  the  hot  air  in 
the  separate  rooms  of  the  office  A. 

In  Fig.  2  fresh  air  is  admitted  at  M,  and  is  delivered 
by  heater  N  to  the  main  conduit  R  and  distribution 
branches  O  O  O. 

This  apparatus  was  built  and  erected  by  the  Huyett 
&  Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Detroit,  Mien., 


according   to  plans  approved  by  Mr.  H.    Roberts, 
Superintendent  of  Motive  Power,  Detroit,  Mich. 


HOT- WATER  HEATING  OF  AN  ELEVATED 
RAILROAD  STATION. 

THE  conditions  attaching  to  the  heating  of  the 
station  buildings  of  the  New  York  Suburban  Rapid 
Transit  Elevated  Railroad  are  severe  in  that  the 
buildings  are  entirely  detached,  are  elevated,  and 
exposed  to  wind  and  weather  beneath  as  well  as  on 
all  sides  and  on  the  top,  and  each  station  has  at  cer- 
tain hours  of  the  day  large  number  of  persons  pass- 
ing in  and  out.  The  stations  are  generally  heated 
by  a  hot-water  system  similar  to  that  of  the  Wend- 
over  Avenue  station,  shown  in  the  accompanying 
illustrations, "and  installed  by  Hitchings  &  Co.,  con- 
tractors, of  New  York  City. 

The  isolated  position  and  general  arrangement  of 
the  passenger  stations  are  indicated  in  Fig.  i.  The 
station  A  is  warmed  from  a  boiler  placed  in  an  under 
room  C.  The  open  plattorm  B  is  not  warmed.  The 
plan  of  the  station  is  shown  in  Fig.  2,  and  a  vertical 


HEATING   AND    VENTILATING   SYSTEM,    CHICAGO    AND    GRAND    TRUNK    RAILWAY. 


184 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


FIG.  5 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  SYSTEM,   CHICAGO   AND   GRAND  TRUNK   RAILWAY.      (See  page  182.) 


elevation  and  sectional  diagram  at  Z  Z  is  indicated 
in  Fig.  3.  The  radiators  M  and  N,  Fig.  4,  in  wait- 
ing-room R  are  operated  from  the  boiler  E,  Fig.  3. 
Radiator  N  has  an  additional  coil  L  to  increase  the 
heat  in  the  ticket  office  K,  which  is  exposed  to  cold 
air  from  the  adjacent  entrance  door. 

The  radiators  are  connected  with  the  boiler  by 
risers  at  G  and  H,  and  with  each  other  by  an  air  pipe 
W,  which  opens  into  the  10  gallon  cast-iron  closed 
expansion  tank  V,  which  may  be  filled  by  opening  a 
key  valve  O,  in  the  water-supply  pipe  Y,  or  may  be 
emptied  through  the  petcock  Z.  It  overflows  through 
the  open  pipe  X  into  the  cistern  of  an  adjacent  water- 
closet.  Circulation  in  it  is  maintained  and  danger  of 
freezing  averted  by  connecting  to  it  a  riser  I  fiom 


the  boiler  and  a  return  J,  which  serves  a  flow  pipe 
for  radiator  M.  The  connections  of  the  flow  and  re- 
turn pipes  to  the  boiler  E  are  shown  in  Fig.  5.  The 
boiler  may  be  emptied  through  the  key  valve  P. 
Circulation  16  feet  below  the  boiler  is  effected  by  ex- 
tending the  return  pipe  S  from  coil  N,  vertically 
downwards  to  form  the  loop  Q,  from  which  the  water 
returns  to  the  boiler  through  branch  T.  The  water, 
gas,  and  soil  pipes  are  carried  to  below  the  frost  line 


t  no/Nil  HIHO  _fticonp 

HOT-WATER   HEATING  OF  AN  ELEVATED   STATION. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


185 


in  a  cast-iron  box  F,  Fig.  3,  packed  with  hair,  etc., 
and  having  the  coil  Q  as  an  additional  precaution 
against  freezing. 

Figure  6  is  a  sectional  view  of  the  boiler  E,  Figs.  3 
and  5;  B  is  the  fire  box;  G,  the  grate;  K,  the  coal 
reservoir;  P,  the  ash-box;  and  J  J,  the  water  jacket 
surrounding  them  all.  S  is  the  smoke  pipe,  and  F 
and  R  are  respectively  flow  and  return  pipes.  The 
boiler  is  Hitchings'  self -feeding  heater  No.  2.5,  de- 
signed to  heat  a  room  with  8,600  cubic  feet  of  con- 
tents. 


Fig 


A  VACUUM  CIRCULATION  STEAM-HEATING 

SYSTEM. 

THE  Thirty-first  Street  plant  of  the  Minneapolis 
Electric  Street  Railway  Company  consists  of  a  group 
of  brick  buildings,  mostly  one  story  high,  covering 
an  area  about  225x175  feet  in  extreme  dimensions. 
The  buildings  comprise  car  storage,  and  receiving 
and  repairing  rooms,  boiler-room,  engine-room, 
round-house  for  motor  cars,  and  various  shops  and 
storerooms,  the  whole  being  heated  by  the  exhaust 
steam  from  the  engines,  supplied  at  a  pressure  sub- 
stantially not  above  atmospheric  to  long  pipe  coils 
and  a  few  cast-ircn  radiators.  The  steam  plant  con- 
sists of  four  Babcock  &  Wilcox  boilers  and  10  vertical 


HOT-WATER    HEATING   OF    AN    ELEVATED    RAILWAY    STATION. 


186 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER   HEATING  PRACTICE. 


187 


engines.  The  exhaust  steam  from  the  engine  first 
passes  through  two  Wainwright  feed-water  heaters 
and  then  into  the  heating  mains.  The  exhaust  is 
separately  received  from  each  of  the  two  sets  of  five 
engines,  and  is  of  course  provided  with  suitable 
valves  for  free  discharge  to  the  open  air  and  with 
by-passes  around  the  heaters  to  enable  them  to  be 
cut  out  if  occasion  requires.  The  feed  water  is  in- 
jected by  two  io"xi2"x6"  Hughes' boiler- feed  pumps, 
which  are  interchangeably  connected  with  two 
Worthington  pumps  set  under  the  floor  to  take  the 
condensation  water  out  of  the  return  tank  into  which 
the  contents  of  the  mains,  coils,  and  radiators  are 
delivered  by  a  vacuum  pump  which  produces  circu- 
lation. 

Figure  i  is  a  diagram,  not  drawn  to  exact  scale  or 
position,  but  from  a  sketch  made  from  a  description 
given  to  a  member  of  our  staff,  to  indicate  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  buildings  and  location  of  coils  and 
showing  the  special  features  of  distribution  and  the 
characteristic  essentials  of  the  connections.  Only 
the  principal  valves  are  indicated  and  the  pipe  lines 
and  coils  are  shown  conventionally.  Most  of  the  re- 
turn branches  are  parallel  to  the  supplies  and  one 
.size  smaller  and  are  omitted  to  avoid  confusion.  The 


numerals  marked  on  the  different  rooms  show  the 
number  of  square  feet  of  radiation  provided.  The 
radiators  in  the  storehouse  connected  to  the  "  radia- 
tor main  "  are  of  the  Detroit  type  and  in  some  in- 
stances are  composed  of  i-inch  pipe  coils  on  the 
walls.  In  general  they  are  connected  up  without 
valves,  and  a  typical  arrangement  of  pipes  is  indi- 
cated in  Fig.  2,  which  is  an  elevation  of  Z  Z,  Fig.  i. 
where  the  return  loop  L  is  introduced  merely  to  give 
extra  radiating  surface.  Figure  3  shows  the  connec- 
tions of  the  radiators  on  the  first  floor  of  the  store- 
house. The  valve  V  is  normally  open  and  some  con- 
densation water  collects  at  C,  which  is  pulled  up  into 
the  return  bend  B  by  the  action  of  the  vacuum  pump 
exhausting  the  return  main  and  thus  forms  a  seal 
whose  height  a  a  of  about  17  inches  is  sufficient  to 
prevent  the  pump  from  taking  the  contents  of  the 
branch  D  before  it  passes  through  the  radiator.  The 
system  was  designed  and  installed  by  Archambo  & 
Morse,  of  Minneapolis,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for 
the  data  upon  which  this  description  is  based.  They 
state  that  the  circulation  of  the  system  is  satisfactory 
and  its  operation  efficient  and  very  economical  under 
a  pressure  of  less  than  one-half  pound  with  the  ex- 
haust open  freely  to  the  air. 


HEATING   OF   HOTELS. 


STEAM  HEATING  IN  THE  PLAZA  EOTEL, 
NEW  YORK. 

PART  I  — GENERAL  DESCRIPTION,  CELLAR  PLAN,  BOILER- 
ROOM,  BOILER  SETTING,  AND  BOILER  FEED-WATER 
HEATER. 

THE  Plaza  Hotel,  New  York  City,  is  a  seven-story 
building,  situated  at  the  Fifth  Avenue  entrance  to 
Central  Park,  about  150  feet  front  and  20  feet  deep, 
intended  for  a  family  hotel  to  accomodate  about  600 
guests.  It  contains  about  TOO  suites  of  rooms,  each  of 
from  three  to  six  apartmems,  besides  single-guest 
chambers,  parlors,  offices,  etc.,  for  general  hotel 
service,  and  the  kitchen  laundry,  etc.,  etc.  Gillis  & 
Geoghegan  are  the  designers  and  contractors  for  the 
steam  engineering. 

Steam  from  one  boiler  plant  is  supplied  for  the 
general  domestic  purposes  of  the  building  in  cooking, 
lifting,  pumping,  laundrying,  ventilating,  and  heat- 
ing. It  supplies  two  150  horse-power  Corliss  engines 
that  drive  the  electric  lighting  plant,  an  ice  machine 
and  compressor,  and  an  engine  for  laundry  purposes. 

All  the  heating  is  by  direct  steam  radiators  that 
are  ordinarily  supplied  by  the  exhaust  from  the 
numerous  pumps,  engines,  etc.,  but  can  at  will  be 
supplied  with  live  steam. 

Figure  i  is  a  general  diagram  illustrating  the  sys- 
tem of  steam  mains  and  regulating  valves,  and  show- 
ing the  return  mains  and  steam  risers.  The  heating 
mains  are  indicated  by  single  heavy  lines,  exhaust 
mains  by  full  double  lines,  return  mains  by  broken 
heavy  lines,  steam-power  mains  by  heavy,  lines 
broken  with  one  dot,  branch  pipes  are,  in  general, 
omitted,  but  the  principal  rising  lines  are  indicated 
by  small  circles. 

A  A  are  brine  pumps  connected  with  the  ice  ma- 
chine engine;  B  B,  etc.,  are  the  steam  boilers;  C  is 
an  automatic  governor  for  the  tanks  D  D,  that  re- 
ceive water  from  the  return  mains;  E  is  an  automatic 
governor  for  the  boiler  feed  pumps  F  F;  G  G,  etc., 
are  steam  engines;  H  II  are  dynamos;  P  is  a  pump; 
I  is  a  feed-water  heater;  J  is  the  laundry  engine;  K 
K  are  house  pumps;  L  L  are  elevator  pumps;  M  M 
are  hot-water  boilers;  N  N  are  tanks,  one  to  receive 
drips  and  the  other  for  a  biow-off  tank;  O  O  O  are 
suction  tanks;  Q  is  the  vertical  exhaust  pipe  from  the 
exhaust  main;  R  is  the  regulating  valve,  controlling 
the  communication  between  steam  main  W  and  ex- 
haust main  X;  U  is  a  back  pressure  valve;  V  is  a 
common  gate  valve;  S  S,  etc.,  are  risers  from  the 
exhaust  main,  designed  to  promote  upward  current 
in  ventilating  shafts,  and  T  T,  etc.,  are  the  risers 
from  the  heating  and  return  mains  to  which  the 
radiators  are  connected. 

Ordinarily  all  the  exhaust  steam  passes  through 
the  feed-water  heater  I.  and  after  returning  to  the 


exhaust  main  is  delivered  through  various  branches 
to  the  dry-room,  the  hot-water  tanks,  the  ventilating 
shafts, and  to  the  general  heating  system, but  any  one 
of  these  can  be  cut  out  and  the  exhaust  sent  through 
the  others,  or  directly  up  the  stack  at  Q.  The  house 
pumps  may  also  be  cut  off  from  the  exhaust  main 
and  send  their  exhaust  directly  to  the  hot-water 
tanks  or  the  dry- room. 

Portions  of  the  building  calculated  to  be  in  con- 
stant use,  such  as  dining-room,  restaurant,  billiard- 
room,  cafe,  etc.,  are  each  supplied  with  direct,  separ- 
ate steam  heat,  controlled  from  the  boiler-room. 

The  heating  apparatus  circulates  at  less  than  a 
pound  indicated  pressure  of  steam,  and  is  arranged 
to  operate  at  a  pressure  not  exceeding  five  pounds  at 
any  time.  Back-pressure  valves  are  placed  in  the 
exhaust  mains  and  set  at  this  limit  of  five  pounds,  sa 
that  any  excess  of  back  pressure  on  the  engines  will 
cause  them  to  open  and  thus  give  free  escape  to  the 
roof  for  the  exhaust.  The  system  is  designated  a 
"combination  system,"  and  in  order  to  supply  any 
deficiency  in  the  quantity  of  exhaust  steam,  or  to 
make  up  a  sufficient  quantity  for  the  entire  apparatus 
running  at  one  time,  live  steam  is  let  in  through 
differential  pressure  valves  at  any  pressure  under  the 
five- pound  limit  set  on  the  confined  exhaust. 

Figure  2  shows  the  arrangement  of  steam  mains 
and  valves  in  the  boiler-room  (see  also  Fig.  i).  B  B, 
etc.,  is  the  battery  of  Babcock  &  Wilcox  double 
boilers  of  628  total  horse-power.  These  boilers, 
though  not  originally  designed  to  be  operated  by 
forced  draft,  are  fitted  with  the  McClave  argand 
steam  blower.  Buckwheat  coal  is  now  burned  under 
them. 

A  A  are  branches  to  the  power  main;  C  C  are 
branches  to  the  heating  main;  D  D  are  expansion 
joints;  E  is  an  8-inch  main  to  dynamos,  etc.;  F  is  a 
3-inch  main  to  boiler  pumps,  ice  machine,  and  kit- 
chen; G  is  a  20-inch  main  supplying  the  heating 
system. 

H  is  a  6  inch  main  to  power  engine,  elevator 
pumps,  and  house  pumps;  I  is  a  4-inch  main  to  the 
boiler  feed-water  heater;  J  is  a  back-pressure  valve 
(see  also  Fig.  i);  U  is  a  differential  valve  set  at  80-5. 
pounds.  Usually  valve  M  is  closed  and  L  and  L  are 
open,  admitting  boiler  pressure  to  valve  K,  but  the 
by-pass  is  arranged  so  that  by  closing  L  and  L  and 
opening  M  steam  will  be  admitted  direct  to  G  from 
the  boilers  (and  likewise  permits  of  the  pressure  reg- 
ulator being  removed  for  repairs  without  interfering 
with  use  of  steam);  O  O,  etc.,  are  the  coal  bins. 

Figure  3  is  a  plan  showing  the  boiler  setting  and 
smoke  flues,  and  Fig.  4  is  a  vertical  section  of  the  same. 

Figure  5  shows  the  Berryman  heater  for  boiler 
feed  water  Csee  I,  Fig.  i).  A  is  the  main  exhaust 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


189 


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STEAM    HEATING   IN   THE   PLAZA   HOTEL,    NEW    YORK. 


190 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


191 


(i 2-inch)  from  engine-room;  O  is  the  8-inch  exhaust 
from  house  and  elevator  pumps  and  laundry  engine. 
Ordinarily  valve  B  is  closed  and  K  and  L  are  open, 
and  the  exhaust  steam  passes  through  branch  C  to 
the  heater,  and  out  through  D  to  heating  main  and 
main  exhaust  pipe,  as  indicated  by  the  arrows;  but 
by  reversing  valves  B,  K,  and  L  the" heater  is  cut  out 
and  the  exhaust  steam  passes  directly  through  by- 
pass E,  as  shown  by  broken  arrows.  The  5-inch 
branch  N  supplies  exhaust  steam  to  3- inch  lines  F 


and  G,  the  former  to  promote  circulation  in  ventila- 
tion shafts,  and  the  latter  to  heat  the  coils  in  the 
laundry  dry-room. 

If  valve  P  be  closed  and  Q  be  opened,  live  steam 
from  i]<4-inch  pipe  H  will  be  supplied  to  the  dry- 
room;  I  I  are  2  inch  drip  pipes  delivering  the  con- 
densation water  to  a  drip  tank  (N,  Fig.  i);  J  is  a  i- 
inch  blow-off;  L  is  the  2-inch  cold-water  supply  to 
the  heater;  and  M  is  the  2-inch  pipe  delivering  hot 
water  to  the  boilers. 


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STEAM   HEATING   IN   THE  PLAZA   HOTEL,   NEW   YORK. 


192 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


PART  II. — SYSTEM    IN    LAUNDRY  AND  DRY  ROOM,  DETAILS 
IN  DRY-ROOM.  AND  STEAM  COILS  IN  HOT  CHAMBER. 

FIGURE  6  is  a  diagram  plan,  not  to  scale,  of  the 
laundry  and  adjacent  dry-room  (L  and  M,  Fig.  i,)  in 
the  basement. 

Hot  and  cold  water  is  supplied  through  pipes  L 
and  M  respectively,  live  steam  through  N  and  ex- 


haust steam  through  O.  All  pipes  except  branches 
Q  Q  are  overhead,  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  and 
the  risers  from  the  different  machines  are  indicated 
by  solid  black  circles. 

A  A,  etc.,  are  nonpareil  power  washing  machines. 
B  B  power  centrifugal  wringers.  C  C,  etc.,  rinsing 
tubs.  F  F,  etc.,  are  common  kitchen  laundry  tubs, 


STEAM    HEATING   IN   THE   PLAZA   HOTEL,    NEW   YORK. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


193 


half  of  which  are  provided  with  perforated  steam 
pipes,  etc.  K  K,  etc.,  are  bins  for  the  reception  of 
soiled  linen. 

H  H  are  steam-heated  French  power  mangles.  I  is 
a  collar  and  cuff  ironing  machine.  J  is  a  lace  curtain 
ironer,  which  consists  essentially  of  a  large  hollow 
iron  cylinder  mounted  on  hollow  trunnions  through 
which  steam  is  received  to  heat  the  cylinder. 

G  is  a  starch  kettle  and  D  D  are  steam  traps.  The 
machines  in  the  laundry  are  driven  from  counter, 
shafts  that  are  operated  by  a  special  steam  engine. 
Adjacent  to  the  laundry  is  the  dry-room,  fitted  with 
patent  racks  (omitted  in  Fig.  6)  that  are  suspended 
from  overhead  tracks  T  T,  etc.,  on  which  they  travel 
from  the  room  P  to  the  hot  chamber  R,  where  the 
clothes  are  dried  over  the  large  steam  coils  U.  These 
racks  are  12  feet  long  by  7  feet  6  inches  high  and  i* 
inches  and  18  inches  wide. 

Figure  7  is  a  perspective  from  Y,  Fig.  6,  showing 
position  of  overhead  tracks  T  T,  etc.,  and  the  20 
racks  A  A,  etc.,  one  of  which  is  shown  partly  with- 
drawn into  room  P,  Fig.  6,  to  be  filled  or  emptied; 
while  the  rest  are  in  the  hot  chamber  R,  for  which 
the  panels  B  form  a  tight  partition  from  room  P.  The 
ventilating  flues  are  omitted. 

Figure  8  is  a  section  at  Z  Z,  Figs.  6  and  7,  showing 
a  section  of  the  coil  radiator  U  and  the  pit  in  which  it 
is  contained,  and  the  sheathing  C  that,  with  the  pan- 
els B,  partitions  off  hot  chamber  Q  from  room  P. 

Figure  9  is  a  general  view  of  the  radiator  coils 
U  U',  Figs.  6  and  8.  They  receive  live  or  exhaust 
steam  through  A  from  pipes  G  and  H,  Fig.  3,  and  it 
returns,  together  with  condensation  water,  through 
pipes  B  B.  U'  is  a  small  radiator  with  only  four 
coils.  U  has  headers  C  C  of  5-inch  pipe  about 
12  feet  long,  tapped  to  receive  about  50  coils,  D,  of 
i^-inch  pipes  about  10  feet  long  connected  by  three 
return  bends  each.  The  coils  are  separated  and  sup- 


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STEAM    HEATING   IN   THE    PLAZA   HOTEL,    NEW   YORK. 


194 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


195 


ported  by  the  ij^-inch  pipe  rollers  E  E,  etc.,  which 
allow  temperature  movements;  the  lowest  roller  is 
supported  by  a  pedestal  bar  set  in  the  ground  and 
having  a  saddle  head.  G  is  the  trench  in  which  the 
main  pipe  lines  are  carried  through  the  cellar.  I  is 
a  6-inch  exhaust  main  to  and  H  a  i2-inch/>0w  the 
boiler  feed- water  heater.  J  J  J,  etc..  are  relief  pipes, 
etc  ,  not  connected  with  this  portion  of  the  system. 

Figure  10  is  a  section  at  XX,  Fig.  9  and  shows  the 
details  of  construction  of  frames  A,  Figs,  6,  7,  and  8, 
and  the  arrangement  of  rollers  R  R,  etc.,  on  the 
tracks  T.  W  W,  etc.,  are  the  galvanized  hooks  from 
which  the  clothes  are  suspended. 

The  dry-room  and  laundry  are  fitted  with  machinery 
supplied  by  Oakley  &  Keating,  New  York. 

PART  III. — SPECIAL  FILTERS,  DETAILS    OF    MAIN    EXHAUST 
STACK    AND    RISERS   IN    VENTILATION    SHAFTS. 

FIGURE  n  shows  one  of  the  two  sets  of  special 
filters,  designed  by  Mr.  F.  Nagle,  Chief  Engineer  for 
the  lessees  of  the  hotel,  and  built  by  Gillis  &  Geoghe- 
gan.  A.I  the  croton  water  used  for  domestic  purposes 
must  pass  through  these  filters,  which  may  be  so  con- 
nected as  to  filter  the  boiler  feed  water  also. 

Croton  water  from  the  Fifty-ninth  Street  main  is 
supplied  through  branches  B  B  B  to  the  Worthington 
meters  A  A  A,  which  discharge  it  through  pipes  C 
C  and  D.  Pipes  C  C  generally  deliver  through  branch 
F  to  the  twin  tanks  J  J,  which,  connected  by  th$  pipe 
K,  form  one  filter  whose  outlet  is  through  branch  O 
into  main  pipe  E.  By  closing  valves  G  and  P  and 
opening  valve  H,  the  filters  are  cut  out  and  the 
water  passes  directly  from  the  meters  to  pipe  E. 

I  I  arc  valves  controlling  the  tanks  J  J,  which  are 
each  about  3  feet  in  diameter  by  4  feet  high,  con- 
structed as  shown  in  section  by  Fig.  12,  where  R  R 
R  are  diaphragms  with  numerous  3^ -inch  perfor- 
ations. Each  diaphragm  is  supported  by  a  nickel- 
plated  piece  of  i-inch  brass  pipe  Q  Q  Q,  and  is 
covered  by  a  ^-inch  mesh  screen  S  S  (shown  re- 
moved at  the  middle  diaphragm).  Between  the 
diaphragms  is  packed  the  filtering  material,  which 
can  be  removed,  or  washed,  through  the  handholes 
M  M,  etc.,  when  valve  I  is  closed  and  the  water  is 
drawn  off  th-rough  cocks  L  L,  etc. 

The  main  exhaust  stack  Q  (see  also  Fig,  i)  is  of 
cast  iron,  12  inches  in  diameter,  about  i  inch  thick, 
and  130  feet  high;  it  is  supported  along  the  external 
wall  H  by  bands  under  each  hub,  and  rests  on  a 
special  foundation  pier  A,  Fig.  13.  The  pipe  comes 
through  the  building  in  trench  T,  and  rising  enters 
the  stack  by  tec  C,  that  is  connected  downwards  to 
the  cast-iron  pedestal  D  and  bearing  flange  E.  B 
B  are  screwed  joints.  F  is  a  tee  with  a  solid  bottom 
plug  D  and  a  branch  G  just  above  D,  through  which 
all  condensation  water  is  drained  off  from  the  stack. 

Figure  14  is  a  section  through  the  center  of  the 
stack  and  pedestal  to  show  the  connections  more 
clearly.  Figures  15  and  16  show  respectively  the 
supports  for  the  bottom  and  top  of  one  of  the  exhaust 
risers  S  (Fig.  i),  which  are  arranged  for  ventilating 
purposes.  The  arrangement  of  the  bottom  is  similar 
to  that  illustrated  in  Fig.  13,  the  pedestal  E  here  rest- 
ing on  a  channel  bar  J,  supported  by  floor  beams  I  I. 


At  the  top  pipe  S  passes  out  through  a  slot  K,  in 
the  vertical  wall  L.  Figs.  17  and  18  are  sections 
and  elevations  from  Y  Y  and  X  X,  Fig.  16.  The  slot 
K  is  covered  by  the  galvanized  sheet-iron  plates  O 
and  N,  the  former  being  fixed  and  having  a  slot  P  to 
permit  vertical  movements  of  the  pipe,  and  the  latter 
having  a  round  hole  just  large  enough  to  receive 
the  pipe,  with  which  it  moves  up  and  down,  sliding 
under  the  cleats  M  M,  which  hold  it  close  to  O. 

Figure  19  shows  a  section  and  elevation  of  the 
Hoey  &  Conrow's  patent  exhaust  head  A,  that  is 
made  of  copper  and  fitted  to  the  top  of  every  exhaust 
riser. 

The  steam  impinges  on  the  dome,  and  is  deflected 
to  the  bottom,  whence  it  escapes  through  the  ex- 
ternal annular  space.  In  the  sketch  E  is  the  ven- 
tilating flue  from  the  swill-room,  and  the  3-inch 
exhaust  pipe  B  is  to  promote  circulation  in  it. 

C  C  are  i-inch  drip  pipes  for  condensation  water, 
and  D  is  a  union  inserted  to  enable  the  pipes  to  be 
readily  disconnected.  F  is  the  parapet  wall  around 
the  roof. 

Figure  20  shows  the  expansion  arrangement  for 
carrying  the  exhaust  pipes  through  the  roof.  A  is 
an  exhaust  pipe  (shown  in  section  from  H  to  H)  pass- 
ing loosely  through  hole  F  in  roof  boards  B  and  tin 
sheathing  C.  E  is  a  flanged  galvanized  funnel  soldered 
tightly  to  the  roof  tin,  and  permitting  pipe  A  to  pass 
through  with  clearance  at  G.  D  is  a  similar  funnel, 
without  a  bottom  flange,  that  is  soldered  fast  to 
pipe  A. 

The  pipe  is  thus  free  to  rise  and  fall  with  tem- 
perature variations,  while  the  holes  F  and  G  are  pro- 
tected from  all  leakage  by  the  funnels  E  and  D 
respectively. 

PART  IV. — RETURN  TANKS  AND  AUTOMATIC  PUMP 
GOVERNORS. 

FIGURE  24  shows  the  3x6-foot  tanks  D  D'  (Fig.  i) 
which  receive  the  condensation  water  through  the 
return  pipes  of  the  heating  system.  B  is  a  >£-mch 
pressure  pipe  to  the  gauge  b,  which  indicates  the 
steam  pressure  in  the  receiving  tanks  and  return 
pipes;  C  is  a  ij^-inch  equalizing  pipe  between  the 
heating  main  and  the  tanks;  g  g  are  petcocks  for  air 
vents;  A  is  a  i-inch  equalizing  pipe  between  the 
pump  governor  W  and  the  tanks.  E  is  a  i^-inch 
return  pipe  from  the  billiard  and  dining  rooms;  F  is 
a  2-inch  relief  pipe  from  the  principal  heating  main; 
H  and  I  are  3  inch  return  pipes  from  the  main  sys- 
tem of  the  hotel;  J  is  a  2-inch  relief  pipe  from  the 
main  system  of  the  hotel;  K  is  a  ^-inch  relief  pipe 
from  the  pipe  supplying  the  heating  apparatus  for 
the  caf6  and  dining,  lounging  and  billiard  rooms. 

L  is  a  2-inch  main  return  pipe  from  the  cafe;  M  is 
a  2-inch  main  return  pipe  from  the  restaurant;  Q  is 
a  i^-inch  suction  pipe  from  the  boiler  pump,  and  is 
connected  by  branch  N  to  both  tanks,  from  either  or 
both  of  which  it  can  draw;  P  is  a  ij^-inch  suction 
pipe  from  the  kitchen  pump,  and  is  similarly  con- 
nected to  draw,  through  branch  O,  from  either  or 
both  of  the  tanks;  U  is  the  return  pipe  from  the  cook- 
ing apparatus;  T  is  a  gauge  tube,  showing  the  level 
of  the  water  in  the  tanks;  c,  d,  and  e  are  gauges 


196 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


197 


showing  respectively  the  pressures  ia  the  heating 
main,  the  exhaust  main,  and  in  the  steam  boilers;  W 
is  a  Kieley  automatic  pump  governor,  connected  by 
branch  G'  to  suction  pipe  Q  of  the  boiler  pump  which 
receives  steam  through  pipe  G.  Ordinarily  valve  / 
is  closed  and  valves  m  m  open,  so  that  the  steam 
goes  through  the  by-pass  R  R  which  is  controlled  by 
the  valve  S,  operated  by  the  automatic  governor  W. 
The  latter,  when  valve  n  is  open,  is  in  free  com- 
munication with  the  suction  pipe  Q.  The  water 
therefore  rises  to  the  same  height  as  in  tanks  D  D, 
and,  raising  the  large  internal  float  V  which  is  pivoted 
on  axis  X,  operates  through  link  Z,  and  counter- 
weighted  levers'Y  Y,  the  stem  a  of  throttle  valve  S. 
The  latter  thus  lets  on  steam  and  starts  the  pump  as 
soon  as  the  water  reaches  a  certain  height  in  the 
tanks  D  D.  If  the  water  level  is  lowered  the  float  V 
falls,  shuts  off  steam,  and  stops  the  pumps  until  ac- 
cumulating water  in  the  tank  again  raises  the  float, 
and  so  on,  but  the  adjustment  has  been  so  made  that 
just  enough  steam  is  admitted  to  keep  up  a  very 
slow,  practically  continuous  motion  of  the  pump. 
The  governor  can  be  cut  out  by  closing  valve  «,  or 
the  steam  may  be  controlled  independently  of  valve 
S  by  opening  valve  /  and  closing  m  m. 

The  valves  and  connections  shown  in  the  figure 
enable  the  two  tanks  to  be  used  either  independently 
or  together,  and  to  be  emptied  by  either  the  boiler 
feed  pump  or  the  pump  belonging  to  the  cooking 
apparatus. 

If,  as  is  likely  to  be  the  case,  tank  D  must  be  used 
for  kitchen  system  and  tank  D'  for  the  main  heating 
system,  then  for  D,  valves  //,  //2,  //3,  z",  r,  k' ',  v' ,  and 
j"  must  be  closed,  and  valves  /,  ft,  /',  and  v  must  be 
open;  and  for  D',  valves  ft ,  /i'a,  /i's,  «,  o,  /,  in,  «,  /', 
r',  iv',  s,  and  s'  must  be  open,  and  valves  /',  ;',  z',  r, 
and  v  must  be  closed. 

Figure  25  shows  the  Kieley  automatic  pump  con- 
troller C,  attached  to  the  house  pumps  (K  K,  Fig.  i), 
which  deliver  into  the  roof  tanks  through  specially 
made  valves.  These  are  closed  when  tank  is  full. 
The  delivery  pipe  is  then  subjected  to  pressure, 
which  is  transmitted  through  the  communicating  */2- 
inch  pipe  A  to  a  diaphragm  in  cylinder  B,  and  causes 
a  movement  which  raises  lever  D  in  direction  E,  and 
permits  a  corresponding  descent  of  connected  lever 
G  toward  F,  closes  valve  H,  and  thus  cuts  off  steam 
from  pump  K,  and  immediately  stops  it.  I  is  a 
throttle  valve  to  control  the  pump  independently  by 
hand;  W  W  W  are  adjustable  weights;  J  J  are  knife 
edges.  As  soon  as  the  pressure  in  A  is  relieved, 
levers  D  and  G  resume  their  original  position,  as 
shown,  and  the  pump  again  commences  to  work, 
thus  keeping  the  tank  always  full.  Similar  governors 
are  attached  to  the  fire  pumps. 

Among  the  trade  articles  used  in  the  steam  sys- 
tems above  described  are  six  back-pressure  valves, 
eight  pressure  regulators,  six  damper  regulators, 
several  return  steam  traps,  and  four  tank  pump 
controllers,  some  of  which  are  here  illustrated, 
or  have  been  before  shown  in  these  columns,  and 
were  manufactured  by  Timothy  Kieley,  New  York 
City. 


PART  V. — HOT  WATER,  DRIP,  AND  BLOW  OFF  TANKS, 
RETURN  FROM  LOW  RADIATORS,  GENERAL  ARRANGE- 
MENT OF  RADIATORS,  CONNECTION  OF  RADIATOR 
BRANCHES  TO  STEAM  RISERS,  SPECIAL  RADIATOR 
CONNECTIONS  AND  SPECIAL  WALL  PLATE. 

FIGURE  21  is  a  perspective  showing  steam  connec- 
tions at  front  end  of  boilers  M  M,  Fig.  i,  which  fur- 
nish the  hot  water  required  throughout  the  house, 
except  for  part  of  the  laundry  work,  where  steam  is 
used. 

Each  boiler  M  has  two  yo-foot  internal  coils  of 
3-inch  brass  pipe  A  A  (Fig.  22).  The  pipes  of  each 
coil  were  arranged  in  perpendicular  planes,  as  shown 
at  Z,  and  these  were  put  together  in  pairs  so  that  the 
two  coils  formed  a  square  cross-section,  as  shown  at 
Y  in  each  boiler,  the  Inlet  and  outlet  ends  C  C  and 
D  D  alone  being  exposed.  Live  steam  is  received 
through  E,  Fig.  21,  or  exhaust  steam  through  O,  and 
after  passing  through  the  coils  A  A,  etc.,  Fig.  22,  re- 
turns through  pipes  D  D,  etc.,  to  branch  B.  N  is  a 
tank  intended  to  receive  the  discharge  from  the  drip 
pipes,  etc.  N'  is  a  blow-off  tank.  Neither  of  these 
tanks  is  shown  completely  connected  up. 

G  is  a  pipe  to  the  feed-water  heater;  F  is  a  Kieley 
steam  trap;  R  is  a  drip  pipe;  H,  J,  K,  and  L,  are  relief 
pipes. 

Figure  23  is  a  rear  view  of  the  boilers  and  tanks, 
shown  in  Fig.  21.  C  C,  etc.,  are  the  sediment  or 
blow-off  pipes,  which  are  connected  by  crossheads, 
D  D,  etc.,  to  pipes  E  E.  These  discharge  into  a 
special  sewer  built  expressly  for  this  purpose,  and 
running  direct  to  the  street.  G  G  are  equalizing 
pipes.  They  have  relief  branches  H  H  terminating 
with  open  ends  above  the  roof.  F  F  are  check 
valves  and  J  J  are  stop-cocks. 

The  condensation  water  from  nearly  all  pipes  and 
radiators  drains  by  gravity  into  the  tanks  D  D,  Fig. 
24,  but  it  was  necessary  to  place  some  radiators  at  a 
lower  level  than  that  of  these  tanks,  and  their  drain- 
age is  effected  as  shown  in  Fig.  26,  where  R  is  a  radia- 
tor set  too  low  to  discharge  into  tank  D.  Its  drip  is 
therefore  received  in  the  Kieley  ste#m  trapF,  which 
is  set  at  a  convenient  lower  level.  As  the  water 
accumulates  in  trap  F,  the  internal  float  A  rises  to 
position  Band  turns  levers  G,  H,  and  I  in  the  direc- 
tion indicated  by  arrows  J  J'  J". 

L  L  are  connecting  links  and  W  W  are  counter- 
weights. As  soon  as  lever  H  passes  the  vertical  its 
weight  W  carries  it  further  toward  J' and  through 
link  L',  and  lever  I  quickly  opens  valve  K,  admitting 
live  steam  through  pipe  M  to  the  surface  of  the  water 
in  trap  F  and  forcing  it  out  through  pipe  N  into  tank 
D.  When  the  float  falls  to  position  A  the  valve  K  is 
closed,  shutting  of  the  steam,  and  water  is  again  re- 
ceived through  pipe  E,  and  so  on. 

O  is  an  exhaust  pipe.  C  is  a  check  valve  closing 
with  pressure  from  the  trap  and  so  prevents  the 
steam  from  pipe  M  entering  the  radiator  R.  D  rs 
another  check  valve  closing  with  pressure  toward  the 
trap,  and  thus  prevents  steam  pressure  from  tank  D 
entering  trap  F. 

Figure  27  shows  the  arrangement,  in  many  of  the 
suites,  of  radiators  in  adjacent  rooms.  Wherever 


198 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


there  was  a  window,  as  at  A,  located  near  the  riser 
shaft  D,  the  horizontal  coils  B  were  made  to  fit  the 
wall  recess,  and  were  preferably  used,  but  when,  as 
often  occurred,  there  was  no  adjacent  window  recess, 
the  vertical  coil  C  was  considered  more  desirable. 

E  is  the  2^-inch  supply,  and  F  the  2-inch  return 
steam  riser,  with  i-inch  branches,  H  and  I  respect- 
ively; G  is  the  ^-inch  air  escape  pipe,  with  ^-inch 
branches  J  J;  K  K  are  air  valves. 

Figure  28  shows  the  connection  of  branches  H  and 
L  to  risers  D  and  F.  The  elbows  M  M,  etc.,  are  ar- 
ranged to  permit  the  vertical  displacements  of  the 
tee  O,  due  to  temperature  elongations  and  contrac- 
tions of  D,  to  be  taken  up  by  bending  in  the  length 
of  branch  H,  which  is  free  to  swing  about  axis  X  X. 
The  latter  moves  either  up  or  down,  and  carries  it  to 
the  (exaggerated)  positions  M'  H',  or  M'  H".  N  is  a 
special  tee,  made,  as  shown  in  the  enlarged  section, 
with  a  central  diaphragm  S,  designed  to  prevent  the 
possibility  of  water  backing  up  in  one  radiator  by 
reason  of  an  unbalanced  pressure  in  the  other.  This 
device  was  invented  by  Edward  Noonan,  New  York, 
and  is  placed  on  return  riser  connections  only.  C  is 
an  ordinary  Bundy  radiator,  and  on  the  first  floors 
and  in  all  corridors  these  radiators  are  provided  with 
an  ornamental  screen. 

Figure  29  shows  the  patent  connection  details  of 
this  radiator,  which  was  invented  by  J.  L.  Wells,  to 
avoid  the  use  of  a  connecting  strap  across  the  pipes. 
Each  element  V  V  V,  etc.,  is  a  simple  cast  box,  con- 
stituting a  return  band,  which  slides  freely  on  the 
dovetailed  joints  R  R.  Any  desired  number  of  ele- 
ments can  be  used,  and  are  supported  on  detached 
pedestals  W  W.  Steam  is  received  at  H  and  dis- 
charged at  I,  after  passing  through  the  radiated  pipes 
B  B.  etc.  T  T,  etc.,  are  ornamental  face  plates.  The 
connections  at  the  other  end  of  the  radiator  are  the 
same,  except  for  the  omission  of  elements  U  U.  Fig- 
ure  30  shows  a  horizontal  section  through  U  and  a 
vertical  section  through  V. 

Figure  31  shows  the  details  of  expansion  wall  plate 
L,  Fig.  27.  The  branch  H  passes  through  a  slot  in 
plate  A,  which  permits  it  to  rise  and  fall  with  the  ex- 
pansion and  contraction  of  the  riser  D,  and  through 
a  close-fitting  hole  in  plate  B,  which  latter  slides  on 
the  faceot  A  and  always  closes  the  slotted  hole. 

PART    VI.  —  DETAILS     AND     ARRANGEMENT     OF     SPECIAL 
RADIATORS    IN    THE    SERVANTS'    CORRIDOR,    IN    THE 
«    DINING-ROOM,  IN  THE    REFRIGERATOR   ENGINE-ROOM, 
IN   THE   PARLOR,    AND   IN   THE   LOUNGING-ROOM. 

FIGURE  32  shows  a  radiator  in  the  ninth-floor  cor- 
ridor of  the  servants'  wing.  The  radiator  B  is  there 
connected  to  the  risers  E  and  F  by  very  long  branches, 
A  and  C,  to  allow  for  the  2^-inch  vertical  movement 
which  must  be  there  provided  for  in  the  risers.  The 
radiator  is  similar  to  B,  Fig.  27,  except  that  it  is  a 
single  instead  of  a  double  coil;  E  is  the  i^-inch 
supply,  and  F  the  %"-inch  return  steam  riser,  with 
i- inch  branch  H  and  ^  inch  branch  A  respectively; 
G  is  an  air  valve  with  ^  inch  pipe  H ;  K  K  are  sup- 
porting brackets. 

Figure  33  shows  the  detail  of  a  connection  block  P, 
exactly  the  same  as  those  shown  in  Figs.  27,  29,  and 


30.     The  pedestal  M  is  made  hollow  to  permit  the 
movement  of  branch  H. 

Figure  34  shows  the  special  arrangement  of  Bundy 
elements  in  the  dining-room  radiators,  which  are  de- 
signed to  occupy  the  corners  and  have  marble  cover 
slabs  on  top  (not  shown  here)  to  serve  for  waiters' 
table.  They  will  also  be  provided  with  curved  brass 
screens.  There  are  six  of  these  radiators,  each  hav- 
ing about  225  square  feet  of  surface;  A  is  the  i^- 
inch  supply,  and  B  the  i^-inch  return  steam  pipe; 
D  is  the  air  valve  with  j^-inch  pipe  C. 

Figure  35  is  a  sectional  view  of  the  cast  base  E, 
which  forms  a  single  chamber,  establishing  commu- 
nication between  the  steam  pipes  A  and  B  and  the 
radiator  elements  F  F,  etc.,  the  latter  being  here  re- 
moved for  clearness. 

Figure  36  shows  the  arrangement  of  the  radiator 
A  in  the  refrigerator-room;  B  C  is  the  exhaust  main 
with  back-pressure  valve  D,  set  to  five  pounds. 
Steam  can  be  supplied  from  the  stack  end  C  at  a 
pressure  of  five  pounds  or  less,  through  i^-inch  pipe 
E,  or  from  B  under  a  greater  pressure  through  i#- 
inch  pipe  H;  F  is  a  i^f-inch  live-steam  pipe,  and  G 
is  a  steam  trap. 

Figure  37  shows  the  coils  under  the  parlor  windows, 
the  warm  air  passing  out  freely  through  the  brass 
screen  A. 

The  lounging-room  has  a  divan  D,  Fig.  38,  sur- 
rounding all  the  sides,  and  as  it  was  not  desirable 
to  have  the  radiators  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  nor 
to  have  them  interrupt  the  continuity  of  the  divan, 
they  were  arranged  underneath  it,  as  shown  in  Fig. 
36.  In  this  E  is  the  radiator  coil,  F  the  i^-inch 
steam  supply,  and  G  the  ij^-inch  return,  C  is  the  air 
valve  and  H  its  J^-inch  pipe. 

The  panel  L  gives  access  to  the  valves  C,  M,  and 
N.  Cold  air  from  outdoors  is  supplied  through  duct 
A.  Its  delivery  is  regulated  by  gate  I,  operated  by 
handle  J,  which  is  always  concealed  by  the  cushions 
O.  The  dotted  lines  show  its  closed  position  I'.  The 
arrows  indicate  the  course  which  the  cold  air  must 
take,  passing  through  the  radiator  coil  E  and  over 
bridge  K,  and  thus  being  tempered  before  gaining 
admission  to  the  room  through  the  register  B.  The 
dining-room  ceiling  is  of  papier-mache,  filled  with 
small  perforations,  concealed  by  the  pattern.  Above 
the  ceiling  is  a  free  space,  the  air  in  which  is  ex- 
hausted by  a  36-inch  fan,  driven  by  an  electric  motor. 

The  system  of  ventilation  was  designed  and  ex- 
ecuted by  J.  L.  Wells,  of  Gillis  &  Geoghegan,  New 
York. 


STEAM  PLANT  IN  THE  NEW  NETHERLAND 
HOTEL. 

PART  I.  —  GENERAL  DESCRIPTION,  ARRANGEMENT  OF 
MAINS  IN  BOILER-ROOM,  AND  DIAGRAM  OF  HEAT- 
ING MAINS. 

THE  New  Netherland  is  one  of  the  recently  built 
hotel  structures  of  New  York  City.  It  is  a  17-story 
building  standing  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Fifty  ninth  Street.  The  power,  heating,  lighting, 
ventilating,  and  refrigerating  plants  are  located  in  the 
cellar,  the  boilers  being  in  the  area  under  the  side- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


199 


walk  and  the  main  part  of  the  apparatus  being  as- 
sembled in  what  is  known  as  machinery  hall.  The 
cellar  floor  is  25  feet  below  street  grade  and  the 
cellar  has  a  head  room  of  n  feet.  Steam  for  all  pur. 
poses  is  generated  in  four  Babcock  &  Wilcox  boilers, 
each  a  "  double-decker"  of  160  horse-power.  They 
are  set  two  in  a  battery,  head  on,  the  firing  being 
either  way  from  the  center.  They  are  fitted  with  the 
Kirkwood  rocking  grate  and  the  Spencer  draft  regu- 
lator. By  using  the  "  double-deckers  "  it  was  possible 
to  get  this  640  horse-power,  a  iaxi3-foot  center  firing- 
room  and  the  combustion  uptakes  in  a  floor  space  of 
13x70  feet.  The  boilers  are  under  the  sidewalk  at 
the  corner  of  the  street  and  the  avenue,  and  there  is 
sufficient  head  room  over  them  to  allow  of  inspection 
and  repairs.  The  boiler  space  is  well  ventilated  and 
is  lighted  in  the  daytime  by  the  open  and  illuminated 
sections  of  the  sidewalk  and  at  night  by  incandescent 
electric  lamps.  A  4X4-foot  No.  8  sheet-steel  smoke 
flue  is  suspended  above  the  boilers,  connecting  with 
the  uptakes  B  B  B  B,  Fig.  2,  and  descending  into  the 
arched  16  inch  walled  horizontal  4xs-foot  brick  flueC 
which  is  built  upon  the  floor  and  passes  to  the  end  of 
the  area,  and  then  turning  to  the  left  continues  to 
and  connects  with  the  s-foot  square  chimney  flue  D 
which  rises  247  feet,  clearing  the  highest  point  of  the 


roof.  The  boilers  and  all  the  live  and  exhaust  sup- 
ply and  return  mains  and  all  other  steam  pipes,  con- 
nections, traps,  etc.,  and  the  entire  heating  and  ven- 
tilating system  was  installed  by  Messrs.  Gillis  & 
Geoghegan,  of  New  York  City,  in  conformity  to  the 
plans  and  specifications  of  William  H.  Hume,  archi- 
tect. 

The  boilers  furnish  steam  for  all  the  power  which 
is  used  in  the  hotel,  house  heating,  laundry  work, 
water  heating,  kitchen  work  and  steam  cooking,  and 
are  so  connected  that  any  one  boiler  or  all  of  them 
may  be  used  for  any  one  or  all  of  these  services. 
The  arrangement  of  dome  and  cross-connecting  is 
such  that  all  expansion  is  taken  care  of  without  the 
use  of  slip  joints. 

Figure  i  is  an  isometric  general  diagram  of  the 
steam  mams  only  rising  from  the  boiler  settings,  and 
shows  the  general  arrangement  and  connections,  the 
reference  letters  corresponding  with  those  on  the 
heating  and  power  plans.  Figure  2  is  a  plan  of  the 
basement  showing  a  diagram  of  the  heating  supply 
main  only,  and  omitting  all  other  pipes.  For  heating 
purposes  the  steam  leaves  the  boilers  through  the  6- 
inch  dome  connections  E,  which  start  from  beneath 
the  4-inch  "consolidated"  safety  valves  F,  located 
midway  on  the  boilers  and  the  mains  are  laid  to  the 


STEAM   PLANT  IN  THE  NEW   NETHERLAND   HOTEL,   NEW   YORK  CITY. 


200 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


fronts  of  the  boilers  and  to  the  angle  valves  G. 
Turning  down  it  passes  by  an  1 8-inch  section  and  an 
elbow  into  the  8-inch  crossmains  H.  These  two 
crossmains  are  connected  by  the  8-inch  connecting 
main  I  to  the  ic-inch  main  J,  which  continues  to  the 
point  L,  where  it  drops  sufficiently  to  pass  to  points 
of  distribution  on  the  cellar  ceiling.  By  closing  its 
valve  G  any  boiler  may  be  shut  out,  or  if  it  is  desired 
to  shut  off  either  battery  its  valve  M  is  closed.  If  it 
is  desired  to  use  the  full  boiler  pressure  for  heating, 
the  by-pass  valve  N  is  opened,  but  in  ordinary  ser- 
vice it  is  kept  closed,  the  steam  passing  by  the  loop 
and  valves  P  through  the  equalizing  valve  Q  again 
to  the  main  J.  The  valves  P  are  provided  to  control 
the  valve  Q  when  repairs  are  being  made.  1  he 
heating  main  G  is  connected  to  the  exhaust  main 
which  serves  all  the  principal  engines  by  a  vertical 
down  pipe  at  T,  and  the  supply  is  ordinarily  received 
from  this  source,  passing  through  a  grease  extractor 
which  is  arranged  with  a  by-pass  and  globe  valves, 
between  which  and  the  boilers  the  main  is  10  inches 
in  diameter.  Beyond  these  points  the  circuit  around 
the  outer  edges  of  the  cellar  ceiling  is  used  by  a  mam 
of  7  inches  uniform  diameter,  most  of  whose  branches 
to  the  risers  are  i^,  2,  and  2^4  inches.  Parallel  with 
supply  main  G,  but  a  little  nearer  the  wall  in  a 
trench  underground,  runs  a  corresponding  2-inch  re- 
turn main,  and  receives  drips  from  all  the  risers  and 
empties  into  the  receiving  tank.  When  exhaust 
steam  is  not  used  for  heating,  or  when  an  additional 
supply  is  needed,  it  is  taken  direct  from  the  boilers 
through  branches  E  E,  and  enters  the  system  through 


the  reducing  valve  Q,  which  is  ordinarily  set  to  five 
pounds  pressure.  If  the  system  is  being  operated  by 
a  direct  live-steam  supply  from  the  boilers  it  can  be 
changed  to  a  supply  from  the  exhaust  main  by  simply 
closing  valves  P  P  and  N,  Figs  i  and  2,  opening 


valve  W,  Fig.  2,  and  adjusting  valve  X  to  the  re- 
quired pressure,  when  the  surplus  exhaust  steam,  if 
there  is  any,  will  escape,  through  the  main  stack  in 
the  vent  flue  to  the  open  atmosphere  above  the  roof. 

PART  II. — D5TAILS  OF  HEATING  APPARATUS,  RETURN 
TRAPS  OX  RISERS,  EXPANSION  JOINTS  IN  LONG 
VERTICAL  PIPES,  CONNECTIONS  OF  RADIATORS,  AND 
ARRANGEMENT  OF  INDIRECT  RADIATOR  STACKS. 

FIGURE  3  is  a  general  plan  of  the  ninth  story,  show- 
ing arrangement  and  location  of  the  direct  radiators 
R  R,  etc.,  which  is  substantially  the  same  on  all  of 
the  guest  floors.  All  the  risers  on  the  outside  walls 
are  run  in  built-in  recesses,  and  each  riser  is  dripped 
into  a  i^-mch  pipe  into  the  main  return  pipe,  which 
is  run  in  an  accessible  brick-walled  iron-covered 
trench  just  below  the  cellar  floor.  The  height  of  the 
heating  risers,  and  the  fact  that  the  living-rooms 
were  almost  duplicates  of  each  other,  allowed  a  uni- 
formity in  locating  the  radiators  and  coils.  As 


STEAM  PLANT   IN   THE  NEW   NETHERLAND    HOTEL,    NEW   YORK   CITY. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


201 


shown  on  the  plan  Fig.  3,  it  was  desired  to  run  the 
risers  without  horizontal  leads,  but  to  do  so  it  be- 
came necessary  to  provide  for  the  expansion  which, 
caused  by  high-pressure  steam,  might  at  times  reach 
a  considerable  maximum.  The  height  of  some  of 
those  risers  is  230  feet,  running  to  the  seventeenth 
floor.  Four  inches  expansion  was  allowed  for  in 
three  sections.  Each  was  suspended  at  the  top  as 
shown  by  Fig.  5,  and  expanded  downwards.  Each 
section  A  of  the  riser  was  hung  from  its  elbow  H  at 
the  upper  end,  the  rim  of  which  rested  on  the  I  beam 
J.  The  lower  end  had  a  spring  of  8  feet  as  shown 
with  the  horizontal  return  bend  K.  All  of  those 
fittings  were  specially  tapped  to  give  the  desired 
spread. 

Excepting  in  the  halls,  bathrooms,  and  throughout 
the  third  and  thirteenth  stories,  where  the  window 
sills  were  too  low  to  admit  sufficient  heating  surface, 
all  the  radiators  on  the  guest  floors  were  set  in  the 
deep  recesses  of  the  window  cases  as  indicated  in 
Fig.  6,  and  were  inclosed  by  an  iron  perforated 
screen  S,  through  which  a  small  opening  gave  access 
to  the  regulating  angle  valve  V  that  served  as  a  con- 


nection for  the  long  supply  main  M,  which  was 
pitched  as  indicated  by  the  arrows  to  insure  drainage 
of  the  condensation  water  into  the  riser  H,  and  was 
made  long  enough  for  its  spring  to  take  up  the  ex- 
pansion and  contraction  of  the  riser.  The  height  of 
the  radiator  was  such  that  its  top  B  formed  a  con- 
venient seat  or  bench. 

The  fresh  air  that  is  forced  into  the  halls  and  pub- 
lic rooms  in  the  lower  r.tories  is  drawn  from  outdoors 
through  the  covered  sidewalk  louver  M  on  the  Fifth 
Avnue  side,  and  passed  through  a43X43-inch  duct  V, 
Fig.  7,  made  of  No.  20  galvanized  iron,  to  the 
chamber  N,  also  made  of  No.  20  galvanized  iron,  and 
about  3'x4'x8'  square,  which  contains  52  Bundy  Cli- 
max sections  put  together  in  four  stacks  or  coils,  each 
containing  13  sections,  each  section  containing  13 
square  feet  of  heating  surface,  and  each  stack  having 
independent  connections  to  the  2-inch  supply  pipe  A 
and  the  i-inch  return  pipe  B.  The  air  is  forced  to 
pass  through  and  around  these  radiators,  and  is  thus 
warmed  before  it  is  delivered  by  fan  E  to  duct  E. 

Where  it  was  necessary  to  lay  the  horizontal  pipes 
M  on  the  floors,  they  were  placed  in  cast-iron  trenches^ 


STEAM    PLANT    IN    THE    NEW    NETHERLAND    HOTEL,    NEW    YORK    CITY. 


202 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Fig.  4,  made  to  suit  the  section,  and  having  loose- 
fitting  cast-iron  covers  N  as  shown  in  detail,  to  give 
ready  access  for  repairs  or  inspection.  All  the 
heaters  are  not  connected  on  the  one-pipe  system, 
but  are  connected  to  two  risers,  one  for  conveying 
steam  and  the  other  for  conveying  water  of  conden- 
sation to  the  main  return  in  a  trench  under  the  cellar 
floor,  the  main  return  emptying  into  a  receiving 
tank.  From  this  tank  the  return  water  passes  to 
pumps,  each  under  control  of  the  Kieley  pump  gov- 
ernors, and  is  by  them  pumped  as  feed  water  to  the 
boilers. 

PART  III. — PLAN  OF  POWER  MAINS,  DETAILS  OF  EXHAUST 
STACK,  LOCATION  AND  OPERATION  OK  ENGINES, 
PUMPS,  AND  DETAILS  OF  AUTOMATIC  GOVERNOR. 

FIGURE  8  is  a  general  plan  of  the  basement  floor, 
showing  the  size  and  position  of  the  live  and  ex- 
haust steam  mains,  and  the  location  and  arrange- 
ment of  the  engines,  pumps,  tanks,  ice  plant,  and 
other  machinery.  The  steam-heating  mains  and  the 
main  E  and  its  connections,  which  supply  steam  for 
the  boiler  pump,  kitchen  laundry,  and  cooking  appar- 
atus, are  omitted  here  to  avoid  confusion,  but  are 
shown  in  the  diagram,  Fig.  i,  and  in  plan  in  Fig.  2. 
The  6-inch  dome  connections  R  for  the  power  service 
start  from  the  rear  of  the  boilers,  passing  to  the 
front.  They  have  the  angle  valves  Y,  and,  like  the 
heating  connection  E,  drop  about  3  feet,  so  that  the 
connection  of  this  system  may  be  below  those  of  the 
heating  system.  The  6-inch  crossmains  T  are 
united  by  the  8-inch  connecting  main  U,  from  which 
the  lo-inch  power  main  V  branches  and  continues  to 
the  point  X,  where  it  also  drops  to  pass  into  ma- 
chinery hall.  The  closing  of  the  valve  Y  will  shut 
out  any  one  boiler  from  the  system,  or  the  closing  of 
a  valve  Z  will  shut  off  either  battery  of  boilers. 
From  the  boiler  sides  of  the  valves  Y  were  taken  the 
4-inch  connections  A,  which  were  cross-connected 
and  controlled  somewhat  on  the  lines  of  the  power 
connections.  This  passes  between  the  heating  pipes 
above  and  the  power  pipes  below,  as  indicated  by  a 
center  line  broken  with  two  dots,  to  a  line  E,  which 
supplies  steam  to  the  boiler  pump,  kitchen  laundry, 
and  cooking  apparatus.  All  these  several  connec- 


tions are  dripped  into  the  drip  tank  F,  which  is  be- 
low the  floor,  and  is  also  used  as  a  blow-off  tank  for 
the  boilers.  The  main  exhaust  stack  Y  rises  through 
the  chimney  Z,  and  is  topped  by  a  Hoey  condenser 
head,  the  drip  from  which  passes  back  to  the  blow- 
off  outside  the  valve  of  the  drip  tank  F.  This  12- 
inch  exhaust  pipe,  which  is  250  feet  high,  rests  on  a 
lower  section,  the  detail  of  which  is  shown  in  Fig. 
14.  The  head  G  is  welded  into  the  end  of  the  sup- 


Q 


FIG.  1 4 


porting  section  H,  thus  giving  a  flush  internal  face,. 
which  is  tapped  and  dripped  as  shown  by  the  pipe 
and  valve  I. 

The  4-inch  pump  main  E  supplies  steam  to  one 
5^"X3^"X5*  duplex  pump  B  for  emptying  the  drip 
tank  F,  two  7 ^"x4>£"xio"  duplex  pumps  Q'  Q'  for 
feeding  boilers,  and  two  I2"x6"xio"  duplex  pumps  H 
H  for  domestic  and  fire  service.  All  of  those  pumps 
are  of  the  Worthington  make,  and  are  dripped  into 
the  tank  F.  This  pump  main  E  also  supplies  steam 
to  the  cooking  apparatus  in  the  kitchen,  and  for 
heating  water  in  the  heating  boilers  III,  when  the 
exhaust  steam,  a  connection  for  which  is  provided 
from  the  ma:n  exhaust  pipe,  is  not  available.  The 


VERTICAL  PUMP;-- 


^Z— t 


y///Mm?//////////^^ 

FIG.  1 1 


rm  ENCINKIIHNO  RECORD.  //////////\   / 

/A'* 


xfiig'"  '"mmmmw 

SECTION  AT  Z-Z 

STEAM    PLANT    IN    THE    NEW    NETHERLAND    HOTEL,    NEW    YORK    CITY. 


STEAM   PLANT  IN  THE  NEW   NETHERLAND   HOTEL,   NEW  YORK  CITY. 


2O3 


204 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


pumps  H  H,  which  are  used  for  filling  the  house 
tanks,  one  performing  service  for  the  upper  tank 
and  the  other  for  the  intermediate  tank,  are  fitted 
with  the  improved  Kieley  tank  pump  controller, 
which  operates  as  follows:  The  delivery  erid  of  the 
tank  supply  pipe  P,  Fig.  13,  has  upon  its  end  the 
counterbalanced  lever  float  valve  Q.  When  the  float 
is  down  this  gives  a  clear  waterway  from  the  pump 
to  the  tank,  and  when  the  float  has  been  raised  by 
the  inflowing  water  it  serves  to  close  the  valve.  The 
shutting  off  of  the  discharge  from  the  pump  brings 
an  immediate  back  pressure  in  the  pipe  P,  which  is 
transmitted  instantly  through  the  pipe  R  to  the  cyl- 
indec  S,  whose  piston  is  then  forced  back  by  this  in- 
creased water  pressure,  and  the  piston-rod  being 
attached  to  the  lever  T  of  the  steam  throttle  U  raises 
it,  shuts  off  the  steam,  and  immediately  stops  the 
pump.  The  action  is  almost  instantaneous,  the  air 
chamber  on  the  pump  being  sufficient  to  prevent 
water  hammer  and  relieve  the  strain.  When  the 
water  in  the  tank  has  been  sufficiently  lowered  to 
allow  the  ball  valve  Q  to  open  and  relieve  the  dead 
pressure  which  is  at  all  times  on  the  discharge  P 
when  the  pump  is  not  working,  the  counterweight 
on  the  lever  T  falls,  opening  the  steam  throttle,  and 
starting  the  pump,  which  runs  until  again  stopped  by 
the  action  of  the  valves  Q  and  U. 

The  lo-inch  power  main  V,  Fig.  8,  supplies  steam 
to  two  14"  and  2o"xi2"xio"  compound  duplex  Worth- 
ington  pumps  J  J  for  elevator  service,  one  6xg-inch 
engine  K,  which  runs  the  72-inch  heating  fan  L,  and 
a  4j^x6^-inch  engine  M  which  drives  the  6o-inch  fan 
N,  the  two  Whitehall  engines  O  O  for  the  refrigerat- 
ing and  ice-making  machinery,  one  22X42-inch  and 
one  i6x42-inch  Watts-Campbell  Corliss  engines  P  P, 
and  one  isxi6-inch  Mclntosh  &  Seymour  high-speed 
engine  T  for  the  electrical  department.  The  ex- 
haust from  all  pumps  and  engines  is  carried  in  the 
pipe  S  and  its  feeders  to  the  Berryman  heater  U 
heating  the  boiler  feed  water,  and  then  to  the  heat- 
ing system  or  the  external  air  as  described.  The 
valve  k  acts  as  a  by-pass  if  so  desired,  and  the  valves 
/  /  control  the  heater. 

The  electric  current  which  drives  the  motors 
attached  to  the  ventilating  fans,  laundry  machinery, 
pneumatic  blowers,  and  one  house  elevator  which  is 
used  for  baggage,  etc.,  and  which  furnishes  the 
electric  lighting  for  the  entire  building,  some  6,000 
incandescent  lamps,  is  furnished  from  three  100  and 
one  6o-kilowatt  standard  Edison  compound  wound 
dynamos  WWW,  which  are  driven  by  ^-inch  cotton 
rope  drives  from  the  5TVX54'  hammered  steel  shaft 
a.  Either  dynamo  can  be  instantly  thrown  in  or  out 
of  service  without  interfering  with  the  rest  of  the 
service  by  means  of  the  Lane  clutch  d  which  is 
attached  to  each  driving  pulley  L.  To  one  end  of 
this  shaft  is  connected  the  22x42- inch  Watts-Camp- 
bell Corliss  engine  P  of  200  horse-power  and  to  the 
other  end  the  i6x42-inch  160  horse-power  engine  P' 
of  the  same  make.  Both  engines  are  connected  to 
the  driving  wheel  of  the  countershaft  by  a  i-inch 
cotton-rope  drive  and  with  those  of  the  dynamos 
have  gravity  tighteners.  The  isxi6-inch  125  horse- 
power Mclntosh  &  Seymour  high-speed  engine  T  is 


independently  connected  to  the  loo-kilowatt  dynamo 
W'  by  a  rope  drive,  and  is  to  be  used  in  case  of  an 
emergency  or  for  any  special  service.  All  those 
engines,  dynamos,  and  pillow  blocks  are  laid  on 
heavy  granite  block  work  imbedded  6  feet  below  and 
forming  part  of  the  concrete  mass  which  composes 
the  entire  floor  of  the  machinery  hall. 

To  guard  against  injury  to  the  main  rope  drives 
from  water  seepage  entering  at  the  lower  side  of  the 
14-foot  main  engine  driving  wheels,  water-tight  y2- 
inch  wrought-iron  plate  troughs,  conforming  to  the 
lines  of  the  main  drives  and  the  extended  lower 
sides  of  the  rope  drives,  were  set  in  the  concrete  floor 
and  given  a  24- inch  clearance  below  the  wheel  for 
examination,  etc. 

The  entire  system  of  electric  circuits  is  controlled 
by  switches  on  the  8"x8"xi^*  thick  polished  slate 
switchboard,  upon  which  are  the  fuse  blocks,  regis- 
ters, etc.  There  were  about  35  miles  of  wire  used 
in  wiring  this  job.  The  whole  electrical  contract 
was  with  the  General  Electric  Company,  44  Broad 
Street,  New  York,  and  cost  $75,000. 

In  the  refrigerating  department  three  pumps  n  n 
n  draw  cold  brine  from  machines  o  o  through  2^- 
inch  suction  pipe  /  and  circulate  it  through  the  3- 
inch  pipe  /to  the  different  points  required — viz.,  the 
refrigerator  tank  s,  the  freezing  tank  g,  with  a 
capacity  of  135  iso-pound  cans,  and  the  tanks  e  e  e 
in  the  carafe-room,  each  of  a  capacity  of  iqo  bottles. 
In  this  figure /is  a  dip  tank  where  the  cans  of  ice  are 
momentarily  immersed  in  hot  water  to  enable  their 
contents  to  be  easily  slipped  out;  h  h  are  distributing 
headers  for  the  brine;  u  is  a  charcoal  filter  to  purify 
the  water  used  in  ice-making,  which  is  drawn  from 
storage  tank  o;  p  is  a  Wheeler  condenser  communi- 
cating with  vapor  tank  p  by  the  pipe  q;  mis  a  2  */£- 
inch  waste-water  pipe,  and  /  /  are  two  batteries  of 
Buckring  filters  arranged  on  the  wall.  Figure  9  is 
a  general  section  at  z  z;  w  is  a  trolley  hoist  running 
on  elevated  track  v  to  handle  the  ice  cans.  Figure 
10  is  a  section  at  x  x,  Fig.  9,  and  Fig.  u  is  an  eleva- 
tion at  2  z,  Fig.  8,  of  the  ice  machines. 

Figure  10  is  a  section  at  z  z,  Fig.  8,  through  the 
refrigerator-rooms.  Figure  n  is  a  section  at  x  x, 
Figs.  8  and  TO,  and  Fig.  12  is  an  elevation  of  the 
brine  pumps.  This  refrigerating  plant  was  installed 
by  the  Whitehill  Pictet  Company.  It  maintains  a 
temperature  of  about  30°  Fahr.  in  the  ice  refrigera- 
tors, and  operates  one  cooling  coil  of  pipe  for  reduc- 
ing the  temperature  of  the  fresh-air  supply  in 
summer. 


VENTILATION  OF  THE  NEW  NETHERLAND 
HOTEL. 

THIS  hotel  is  steam-heated  throughout  by  direct 
and  indirect  systems,  and  has  mechanical  ventilation 
of  the  principal  public  rooms  and  all  toilet-rooms  by 
a  system  installed  by  Messrs.  Gillis  &  Geoghegan, 
in  accordance  with  the  plans  and  specifications  of 
William  H.  Hume,  of  New  York  City,  architect. 

Figure  i  is  a  basement  plan  showing  the  location 
of  fans,  chimneys,  etc.,  and  by  distinguishing  con- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


205 


ventions  the  different  hot  and  cold-air  and  ventila- 
tion main  ducts.  The  6x3^-foot  fan  E  is  driven  by 
a  6xg-inch  engine,  and  is  designed  to  force  heated  air 
to  the  several  points  shown  on  the  plan,  Fig.  i, 
through  a  rectangular  No.  20  galvanized  sheet-iron 
duct  A,  the  delivery  ends  of  which  are  controlled 
by  graduating  wing  registers,  so  that  the  persons 
in  charge  of  the  rooms  supplied  may  check  or  in- 
crease the  flow  of  warmed  air  at  will.  The  delivery 
to  the  basement  and  first  floors  is  indicated  by 
vertical  flues  shown  with  diagonal  marks  across  them, 
while  the  delivery  to  the  cellar  rooms  is  through 
registers  indicated  merely  by  arrows  emerging  from 
the  side  of  the  duct.  The  fresh  cold  air  for  fan  E 
is  drawn  from  a  low  louvered  cast-iron  shaft  M  close 
to  the  building  line  on  the  Fifth  Avenue  sidewalk, 
and  is  taken  thence  to  the  fan  through  the  No.  20 
galvanized  sheet-iron  duct  V,  which  connects  to  the 
heating  chamber  N,  which  is  also  made  of  No.  20 
galvanized  sheet  iron.  Within  the  chamber  are  con- 
nected the  indirect  heating  stacks.  This  same  fan 
and  system  of  ducts  is  to  be  used  for  cooling  in  the 
warm  season.  In  a  similar  metal  chamber,  located 
in  the  rear  of  the  heating  chamber,  are  placed 
numerous  closely-nested  coils  of  i^-inch  wrought- 
iron  pipes,  through  which  can  be  circulated  brine  at 
a  very  low  temperature  trom  the  refrigerating  appar-r 
atus.  The  chilled  surfaces  of  those  pipes  condense 
moisture  from  the  air  passing  over  them.  This  con- 


geals as  frost  or  ice  on  the  pipes,  making  a  very  thick 
mass  which  both  cools  and  dries  the  air.  Air  enter- 
ing by  sliding  valves,  the  intake  M  can  easily  be  di- 
verted through  the  hot  or  cold  chamber  at  will. 

The  4^x2 ^-foot  Sturtevant  fan  F  is  driven  by  a 
4%x6^-inch  engine,  and  is  intended  to  supply  fresh 
cold  air  only  to  the  points  of  delivery  indicated  by 
broken  arrows.  This  supply  of  air  is  brought  from 
the  Fifty-ninth  Street  side  of  the  house  through  an- 
other louvered  intake,  whose  galvanized  sheet-iron 
duct  is  marked  W.  The  same  conventions  are  used 
here  as  in  the  hot-air  system  to  indicate  the  position 
of  the  outlets  in  the  duct  B.  The  main  ventilation 
duct  C  is  also  made  of  galvanized  sheet  iron,  and, 
like  the  others,  is  suspended  overhead  and  run  in  the 
most  convenient  places.  Its  lateral  branches  have 
direct  inlets  and  vertical  flue  openings  controlled  by 
graduating  dampers.  The  trunk  is  gradually  in- 
creased in  size  as  each  lateral  is  added,  having  at  its 
point  of  entrance  to  the  vent  shaft  Z'  a  cross- sectional 
area  of  20  square  feet.  This  vent  shaft  Z'  has  a  cross- 
sectional  area  of  30^  square  feet,  and  rises  to  a 
height  of  250  feet  above  the  point  at  which  the  vent 
duct  enters.  The  main  steam  exhaust  pipe  Y  passes 
up  and  through  this  shaft,  which  has  the  additional 
accelerating  influence  of  200  feet  of  i^-inch  steam- 
heating  coils.  The  heat  from  the  exhaust  stack  and 
the  length  of  the  shaft  give  a  powerful  draft  IP 
favorable  weather.  The  steam  coil  is  provided  to 


VENTILATION  OF  THE   NEW   NETHERLAND   HOTEL,   NEW  YORK  CITY. 


206 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


assist  if  necessary,  and  to  assume  a  sufficient  draft 
under  all  conditions  of  atmosphere.  There  was 
placed  upon  top  of  this  shaft,  as  shown  in  Figs.  2, 
3,  and  4,  a  72-inch  Blackman  fan,  to  which  is  belted 
a  10  horse-power  Edison  electric  motor,  receiving  its 
current  from  the  house  electric  plant.  These  condi- 
tions are  intended  to  assure  at  all  times  a  strong, 
regular  current,  withdrawing  foul  air  from  the  ma- 
chinery hall,  kitchen,  bowling  alley,  closets,  and 
other  apartments  in  the  cellar  and  basements  which 
are  connected  to  this  system. 

The  basement  rooms  are  connected  into  the  duct 
formed  by  a  false  ceiling  hung  below  the  true  one  in 
the  halls  and  communicating  with  the  main  duct. 
Special  care  has  been  given  to  securing  the  removal 
of  odors  arising  from  the  cooking,  and  to  preventing 
their  entrance  to  the  dining-rooms,  business  offices, 
parlors,  or  living  apartments,  by  the  erection  of 
ample  canopies  covering  all  cooking  or  steaming 
apparatus,  and  connecting  by  the  galvanized  ductD, 


Fig.  i,  to  the  special  vent  shaft  R,  which  was  built 
into  the  wall  inclosing  the  boiler  flue. 

To  secure  a  change  of  air  in  all  of  the  living  apart- 
ments on  the  several  floors  there  were  built  1 1  local 
vent  shafts  S,  Figs.  5  and  6.  Beginning  at  the  right 


f     \AATV 


FIG.  6 


VENTILATION  OF  THE   NEW  NETHERLAND   HOTEL,   NEW   YORK   CITY. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


207 


and  left  of  the  main  stairway  hall  the  false  ceiling  C, 
Fig.  6,  was  built,  dropping  10  inches  below  the  ceil- 
ing proper,  closed  at  the  starting  lines.  Following 
and  covering  all  the  side  halls  D.  the  shafts  S  were 
so  distributed  as  to  give  each  its  proportionate 
amount  of  service,  and  each  sleeping  apartment  and 
parlor  E  were  connected  to  this  ceiling  duct  F.  At 
the  top  of  each  shaft  S  S,  etc.,  a  Blackman  fan  was 
set,  six  of  them  being  36-inch  diameter,  and  driven 


'SSS&JSJSJSJSWS^^ 
Fio.3    '• 
I  ELEWTIOK  X+X. 


HOOD  A 


FIG.  4 
ELEVATION  Z-Z. 


I.II...C  RtCORO. 


by  three  horse-power  Edison  electric  motors,  both 
working  on  the  same  shaft.  Five  were  3o-inch  fans, 
driven  by  two  horse-power  motors,  all  of  the  same 
make.  The  contract  for  this  part  of  the  work  was  in 
the  hands  of  H.  Ward  Leonard  &  Co.,  136  Liberty 
Street,  New  York.  The  housing  and  general  arrange- 
ment of  these  fans  and  motors  were  on  the  same 
general  plan  as  that  shown  by  Figs.  2,3,  and  4,  ex- 
cepting that  they  are  connected  direct,  while  that  in 
Figs.  2,  3,  and  4  is  driven  by  a  belt.  There  is  also  a 
steam-heating  coil  set  in  each  of  those  shafts  near 
their  upper  ends,  and  designed  to  be  sufficient  to 
create  a  strong  upward  current  in  ordinary  weather. 
At  other  times  the  electric  fans  are  used,  their  speed 
t>eing  controlled  by  the  engineer  from  the  switch- 


board in  machinery  hall.  The  currents  of  air  drawn 
through  those  shafts  are  designed  to  effect  a  general 
movement  of  air  in  the  several  rooms  connected  with 
them,  fresh  air  being  admitted  to  the  rooms  from  the 
halls  through  a  protected  opening  through  the  walls 
near  the  floor.  The  exhaust  air  passes  through  an- 
other protected  opening,  into  and  through  the  ducts 
F,  or  directly  into  the  shaft  S,  Fig.  6. 

Figures  2,  3,  and  4  are  diagrams  showing  the  plan 
and  elevations  of  the  f an  hoxise  on  top  of  the  vent 
shaft,  the  dynamo  and  fan  being  conventionally 
indicated.  A  special  feature  is  the  6^-foot  copper 
elbow-hood  A  which  protects  the  fan  from  the  severity 
of  driving  winds  and  storms  while  permitting  its  un- 
obstructed delivery  of  foul  air  outwards.  Figure  5 
is  a  plan  of  the  roof  showing  the  location  of  tank- 
house,  skylights,  main  shafts  Z  Z,  chimney, etc.,  and 
the  local  vent  shafts  S  S,  etc.  Figure  6  is  a  typical 
section  through  bathroom,  etc.,  showing  the  double- 
hung  ceiling  and  connection  to  shaft  S. 


STEAM  HEATING  IN  THE  HOLLAND  HOUSE. 

PART  I. EXHAUST-STEAM    ARRANGEMENTS  AND  VENTILA- 
TION   SYSTEM. 

THE  Holland  House  is  an  i  i-story  marble  hotel  at 
Thirtieth  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 
The  appointments  throughout  are  modern  and  the 
mechanical  work  is  extensive  and  interesting.  The 
building  is  heated  by  direct  and  indirect  steam  radia- 
tion and  the  rooms  are  ventilated  by  registers  and 
wall  flues  delivering  into  ducts  which  lead  to  an  ex- 
haust stack  extending  above  the  roof.  The  system 
and  details  of  the  work  conform  in  general  to  current 
practice  and  comprise  essentially  the  features  that 
have  been  shown  in  these  columns.  All  heating  is 
by  exhaust  steam,  though  connections  have  been 
made  to  permit  the  use  of  live  steam  if  necessary. 
The  radiator  main  has  a  pressure  regulator  and  a 
pressure  gauge  near  the  place  where  the  exhaust  is 
received.  With  the  regulator  open  and  the  most  re- 
mote radiators  well  heated,  no  pressure  was  indicated 
by  the  gauge  index. 

The  system  is  what  is  known  as  the  one-pipe  sys- 
tem, with  single  pipe  risers  and  branches,  having 
special  pipes  for  returning  condensation  water  parallel 
to  the  horizontal  distributing  mains  only.  The 
arrangement  and  exhaust-steam  connections  in  the 
engine-room  are  shown  in  Fig.  i,  where  A  is  a  6x3- 
foot  iron  tank  receiving  all  exhaust  steam,  that  from 
the  large  and  small  engines  respectively  through 
the  4-inch  and  3-inch  pipes  B  and  C,  and  from  the 
elevator  pump  through  the  5-inch  pipe  D.  From 
tank  A  the  oil  overflows  at  a  level  of  about  18  inches 
from  the  bottom  through  a  vertical  stand-pipe  trapped 
into  the  main  sewer,  and  the  steam  passes  through 
the  12-inch  pipe  E  to  the  grease  extractor  F  and  is 
discharged  through  pipe  G,  which  can  deliver  either 
to  the  boiler-feed  water  heater  H,  to  the  radiator 
system,  or  to  a  direct  exhaust  above  the  roof.  When 
valves  N,  I,  and  J  are  closed  and  P  and  K  are  openv 


208 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


the  steam  exhausts  directly  through  pipe  M.  If  K  is 
closed  and  J  opened,  the  steam  enters  the  radiator 
main  L,  which  has  a  pressure-regulating  valve,  not 
here  shown ,  to  reduce  the  pressure  to  any  desired  maxi- 
mum. If  valves  K  and  P  are  closed  and  N,  E,  and  J 
are  opened,  the  steam  passes  through  the  feed-water 
heater  and  enters  main  L;  or  if  J  be  closed  and  K 
open,  it  then  exhausts  above  the  roof.  O  is  a  pipe 
commanded  by  valves,  not  here  shown,  which  con- 
nects with  the  coils  in  the  hot-water  tanks.  Q  is  a 
cold-water  supply  from  the  pumps,  and  R  is  the  hot 
supply  for  the  boiler  feed.  S  is  a  surface  pipe,  and 
T  T  are  blow-offs.  U  U  are  steam  traps,  V  V,  etc., 
are  drip  pipes,  W  W  W  are  check  valves,  X  is  a 
water  glass,  Y  is  a  live-steam  pipe,  and  Z  is  an  air 
cock. 

The  living  rooms  are  ventilated  by  separate  wall 
flues  extending  to  the  top  of  the  building.  A  low 
chamber  or  air  space  exists  between  the  ceiling  of  the 
upper  floor  and  the  cement  roof,  and  to  this  level  the 
flues  are  brought  by  36  risers,  each  of  which  was  in- 
tended to  be  separately  connected  with  the  accelera- 
ting ventilating  shaft.  But  owing  to  urgent  haste  in 
the  construction,  the  plan  was  slightly  modified  by 
allowing  some  of  the  36  risers  which  were  nearest  to 
the  shaft  to  open  freely  into  the  closed  space  under 
the  roof  which  then  became  an  exhaust  chamber 
connected  by  special  ducts  F  F,  etc..  Fig.  3,  with  the 
ventilation  shafts.  All  the  other  and  more  remote 
risers  were  connected  with  separate  individual  ducts 
F  F,  etc.,  Fig.  3,  to  the  vent  shaft.  The  circulation 
in  the  ventilating  shaft  is  continually  promoted  by 
the  heat  from  the  smoke  and  exhaust  pipes  which 
passes  through  it.  The  steam  supply  risers  have  a 
vertical  height  of  about  116  feet  and  are  firm!y 
anchored  and  supported  near  their  centers,  so  that 
the  total  linear  expansion  of  about  i%  inches  is 


equally  divided  at  the  ends  and  causes  not  more  than 
i  inch  maximum  movement  at  any  point.  Bad  effect 
upon  the  radiators  is  prevented  by  connecting  them 
with  long  horizontal  branches  which  have  sufficient 
pitch  to  preserve  a  fall  to  the  riser  at  its  maximum  or 
minimum  extension  and  which  will  readily  spring 
enough  to  accompany  the  rise  and  fall. 

Figure  2  is  a  view  of  the  galvanized-iron  top  of  the 
exhaust  shaft  on  the  roof.  Figure  3  is  a  section  at 
Z  Z,  and  Fig.  4  is  a  section  at  X  X.  A  is  the  4o-mch 
smoke  pipe  from  the  steam  boilers,  B  is  the  2o-inch 
smoke  pipe  from  the  kitchen  range,  C  is  the  1 2-inch 
main  exhaust  pipe,  D  is  the  drip  pipe.  F  F,  etc., 
are  the  ends  of  foul-air  ducts,  from  which  the  air  is- 
discharged  against  deflector  G.  The  steam-heating 
system  provides  for  about  600  radiators,  and  the 
work  was  done  by  J.  S.  Haley  &  Co.,  of  New  York 
City,  in  conformity  to  the  requirements  of  the  archi- 
tects, G.  E.  Harding  and  Gooch,  of  New  York. 

PART  II. — VENTILATION  STACK,  CONDENSATION  TANK,. 
WATER  FILTER,  SUPPLY  MAINS,  SPECIAL  RADIATORS, 
AND  DETAILS. 

FIGURE  5  shows  the  construction  of  the  ventilation 
shaft,  which  also  serves  as  a  smokestack,  The  main 
smoke  flue  B  enters  the  upper  part  of  chamber  C 
upon  the  walls  of  which  rests  a  flanged  cast  cap  K, 
which  forms  a  base  for  the  steel  smokestack  S,  which 
is  inclosed  by  brick  walls  and  anchored  to  them  by 
clamps  J  J,  etc.,  at  every  floor.  The  smoke  and  hot 
gases  rise  freely  from  B,  enter  S,  and  are  discharged 
beneath  cowl  G,  as  indicated  by  the  full  arrows. 
Soot  falls  freely  to  the  bottom  and  is  removed 
through  door  D,  thus  preventing  the  accumulation 
of  obstructions  and  the  trouble  and  expense  of  elbow 
connections,  doors,  etc.,  at  B.  A  duct  A  from  the 


FIG.  I 


STEAM   HEATING   IN   THE   HOLLAND    HOUSE,    NEW   YORK   CITY. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


20» 


kitchen  ranges  communicates  with  the  space  be- 
tween the  smokestack  and  the  outside  walls  where 
the  air  is  heated  and  induces  an  upward  circulation, 
discharging  the  kitchen  vapors  and  foul  air  from  the 
ventilation  ducts  F  F  F,  etc.,  Fig.  3,  at  the  top  of  the 
stack  L,  above  the  roof  as  indicated  by  dotted  arrows. 
Figure  6  shows  the  return  condensation  tank  and 
connections  by  which  all  the  water  of  condensation  is 
collected  and  automatically  pumped  into  the  boilers. 
A  is  a  steel  tank  about  3x6  feet  in  size,  which  receives 
condensation  water  from  the  different  divisions  of  the 
system  through  the  2^-inch  pipes  B  B,  etc.  C  is  a 
^-inch  circulation  pipe  connected  with  the  upper 
radiators,  and  D  is  a  ^-inch  vent  pipe,  open  above 
the  roof.  E  is  a  3-inch  suction  pipe  to  the  pump  F, 
which  delivers  to  the  boilers  through  the  3-inch 


pipe  G.  H  is  a  ^-inch  escape  pipe  for  air  that  may 
be  drawn  into  the  pump.  lisa  connection  to  the 
regulator  J,  in  which  the  water  rises  to  the  same 
level  as  in  A.  When  it  reaches  a  certain  height  it 
operates  an  internal  float,  which  commands  the 
counterweighted  levers  K  K  K,  and  opens  the  valve 
L,  which  admits  steam  from  the  supply  pipe  to 
branch  N  to  the  pump  F.  This  pump  is  thus  driven 
until  the  water  level  falls  in  A  and  J,  and  the  de- 
scending float  reverses  valve  L,  and  cuts  off  steam 
to  the  pump. 


STEAM   HEATING   IN  THE   HOLLAND   HOUSE,    NEW   YORK   CITY. 


210 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


All  the  water  used  in  the  building,  either  for  do- 
mestic purposes  or  for  the  steam  boilers,  is  filtered 
through  a  pair  of  Potter  filters,  made  by  J.  S.  Haley 
&  Co.  The  filter  is  about  2'xs'x8"  deep;  and  consists 
of  two  cast-iron  half-shells  A  A,  flange-bolted  to- 
gether, as  shown  in  the  vertical  longitudinal  section, 
Fig.  7,  with  pipe  connections  BBC  and  C.  The 
filter  is  divided  into  two  equal  chambers  F  and  G  by 
a  center  partition  composed  of  a  sheet  of  ^-inch  felt 
D,  confined  between  two  sheets  of  galvanized  iron, 
with  2^-inch  mesh  wire  netting  E  E,  all  of  which  are 
tightly  bolted  in  between  the  flanges.  Ordinarily, 
valves  I  and  J  are  closed  and  H  and  N  are  open,  and 
the  course  of  the  water  is  indicated  by  the  black 


arrows.  It  enters  from  the  city  pressure  pipe  L, 
passing  through  branches  C  C  to  the  chamber  G, 
thence  filtering  through  the  felt  D  to  the  chamber  F 
and  into  the  pipe  N  to  the  suction  tank.  When  it  is 
desired  to  wash  the  filter,  valves  H  and  K  are  closed 
and  J  and  I  are  opened,  admitting  water  under  tank 
pressure  through  pipe  O.  The  water  follows  the 
course  indicated  by  the  dotted  arrows,  and  is  de- 
livered to  the  sewer  through  pipe  M.  Each  filter 
has  a  capacity  of  about  i.ooo  gallons  an  hour  under 
15  pounds  pressure. 

Figure  8  shows  the  connection  oi  the  main  hori- 
zontal branches  A  to  the  basement  exhaust  main  B, 
supplying  steam  to  the  radiators.  Branch  A  is  taken 


Vfcfioft'  «/  z,  & .  %• 

STEAM   HEATING  IN  THE   HOLLAND   HOUSE,    NEW   YORK   CITY. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


211 


from  the  top  of  the  main  E,  and  supplies  the  riser  C, 
to  which  the  radiators  are  connected.  Riser  C  ter- 
minates at  the  foot  in  a  reducing  elbow  from  which 
a  smaller  pipe  D  drains  the  water  of  condensation 
back  to  the  return  pipe  B,  which  delivers  into  the 
tank  A,  Fig.  6. 

Figure  9  shows  the  connections  of  the  most  remote 
radiators  on  the  top  floor.  The  steam  pipe  A  is 
pitched  about  i^  inches  away  from  the  radiators, 
and  is  commanded  by  valve  B,  which  has  an  extra 
long  stem  for  convenience  of  operation.  Near  the 
radiator  a  branch  C  is  carried  up  to  an  air  valve  E, 
and  returns  by  pipe  D  to  the  tank  A,  Fig.  6,  so  that 
when  the  radiator  valve  B  is  closed  the  steam  will 
still  circulate  as  indicated  by  the  arrow.  F  is  an  air 
valve. 

Figure  10  shows  the  arrangement  of  a  basement 
radiator  which  is  located  about  200  feet  from  the 
exhaust  steam  tank  A,  Fig.  i,  and  at  a  slight 
elevation  above  it.  The  radiator  is  composed  of  i- 
inch  angle  pipes,  with  branches  4  feet  and  9  feet  long, 
and  is  hung  on  the  wall  near  the  ceiling  by  hanger  G. 


The  2-inch  supply  pipe  A  and  the  i  inch  return  pipe 
B  are  commanded  by  valves  D  and  E  and  connected 
by  a  i-inch  by-pass  C  which  permits  circulation  when 
valves  D  and  E  are  closed.  H  is  an  air  valve.  On 
the  upper  floor  Bundy  radiators  are  used,  with  De- 
troit radiators  elsewhere,  except  for  indirect  radiation 
in  the  basement,  where  ordinary  pipe  coils  are 
used. 

Figure  u  shows  the  location  of  one  of  these  pipe 
coils  in  the  hollow  of  an  arch  between  the  iron  floor 
beams  in  the  ceiling  of  the  basement  toilet-room 
where  there  was  not  room  to  set  it  on  the  walls  or 
floor.  The  radiator  A  is  simply  supported  on  pieces 
of  gas  pipe  B  B,  etc.,  the  ends  of  which  are  flattened 
to  rest  on  the  lower  flanges  of  the  iron  beams  C  C. 
The  supply  pipe  D  is  supported  from  the  floor  beams 
C  C,  etc.,  by  hangers  E,  shown  in  Fig.  12.  These 
clamp  over  the  lower  flanges  and  are  adjustable  by 
means  of  the  screw  rods  K  K,  and  have  loose  gas- 
pipe  thimbles  P  to  serve  as  expansion  rollers.  Most 
of  the  main  exhaust  steam  pipes  are  jacketed  with 
wood  pulp,  which  is  said  to  be  satisfactory  here. 


HEATING  OF  OFFICE  BUILDINGS. 


POWER    AND    HEATING    PLANT,    MANHAT- 
TAN LIFE  INSURANCE  BUILDING. 

PART   I. — GENERAL    DESCRIPTION   OF    BOILERS,     ENGINES, 
ELEVATORS,  STEAM  AND  EXHAUST  PIPING. 

THE  power  and  heating  plant  of  the  Manhattan 
Life  Insurance  Company's  building  at  64  to  68  Broad- 
way, New  York,  presents  an  interesting  opportunity 
for  study.  The  building  has  a  frontage  on  Broadway 
of  67  feet  3  inches  and  a  depth  back  to  New  Street  of 
122  feet.  It  contains  besides  17  stories  a  basement 
and  pipe  cellar,  and  measures  350  feet  from  the  side- 
walk to  the  top  of  the  tower.  The  offices  of  the  com- 
pany are  on  the  sixth  and  seventh  floors,  while  the 
remainder  of  the  building  is  devoted  to  the  uses  of 
an  office  building. 

The  steam  plant  is  located  in  the  pipe  cellar  and 
there  will  be  found  the  engines,  boilers,  elevator 
pumps,  etc.,  which  are  necessary  to  the  warming  and 
lighting  of  a  large  office  building.  The  boiler  plant 
consists  of  three  internally  fired  boilers  of  the  Scotch 
marine  type  placed  under  the  Broadway  sidewalk. 
The  boilers,  which  were  built  by  the  Quintard  Iron 
Works,  contain  about  1,620  square  feet  of  heating 
surface  each  and  are  n  feet  6  inches  in  diameter  by 
10  feet  long.  Each  is  fitted  with  two  Purves  ribbed 
steel  furnace  flues  45  inches  in  diameter  by  7  feet  5 
inches  in  length.  This  is  connected  at  the  real  end  of 
the  boilers  to  the  usual  combustion  chamber  from 
which  the  gases  pass  to  the  breeching  through  146 
Serves  ribbed  steel  tubes  3  yz  inches  in  diameter.  The 
furnaces  and  tubes  were  supplied  by  Charles  W.  Whit- 
ney, of  New  York  City.  Figure  2  shows  a  longitudinal 
section  through  one  of  the  boilers. 

Steam  is  taken  from  a  7-inch  nozzle  on  each  boiler 
through  the  necessary  piping  to  a  1 2-inch  main, 
which  drops  into  a  short  1 2-inch  drum  lying  in  a  hori- 
zontal position.  Three  steam  pipes  are  connected  to 
this  drum,  and  each  is  provided  with  a  stop  valve 
placed  near  the  drum.  One  of  these  pipes,  8  inches 
in  diameter,  supplies  the  electric  light  engines,  eleva- 
tor pumps,  etc.,  with  steam  at  100  pounds  pressure. 
A  second  8-inch  main  containing  an  Acton  reducing 
valve  is  used  to  carry  low-pressure  steam  for  heating 
the  building.  Exhaust  steam  is  usually  used  for  this 
purpose  and  boiler  steam  at  reduced  pressure  is  only 
supplied  when  the  exhaust  steam  is  insufficient. 
The  third  main  leaving  the  drum  before  referred  to, 
is  5  inches  in  diameter  and  supplies  the  entire  pump- 
ing plant  with  steam.  It  will  be  noticed  on  the  plan 
that  the  pipe  supplying  steam  to  the  fire  and  boiler 
feed  pumps  is  connected  to  this  s-inch  main  at  a 
point  near  the  elevator  pumps.  It  is  also  connected 
to  a  3-inch  steam  main  in  the  boiler-room,  which  is 
fed  by  a  2^ -inch  feeder  from  each  boiler.  This  3- 
inch  main  is  known  as  the  "  Sunday  main,"  that  only 


being  used  to  run  the  boiler  feeds,  etc. ,  on  Sunday  or 
a  holiday  when  the  greater  part  of  the  plant  is  shut 
down. 

The  large  8-inch  mains  run  back  toward  the  rear  of 
the  building,  gradually  decreasing  in  size  as  the 
branches  to  the  right  or  left  draw  their  supply  from 
them.  The  exhaust  steam  from  the  engines  and 
elevator  pumps  is  collected  in  a  lo-inch  main  and  led 
toward  the  heater,  where  the  exhaust  from  the  pump- 
ing plant  and  fan  engine  enters  it.  From  that  point 
a  short  length  of  13-inch  pipe  leads  to  a  700  horse- 
power Berryman  feed-water  heater,  the  heater  being 
so  connected  as  to  be  thrown  out  of  use  if  necessary. 
A  connection  is  made  between  the  heater  and  the 
atmosphere  by  the  1 2-inch  free  exhaust  containing  an 
Acton  back-pressure  valve.  The  exhaust  pipe  is 
carried  up  a  vent  shaft  to  the  roof.  A  i2-inch  pipe 
provided  with  a  stop  valve  and  a  Hussey  grease  ex- 
tractor leads  to  the  heating  main. 

The  electric  plant  consists  of  four  Armington  & 
Sims  vertical  engines  directly  coupled  to  the  General 
Electric  Company's  iron-clad  dynamos.  Three  of 
these  dynamos  are  for  lighting  purposes,  while  the 
remaining  one  is  for  power,  supplying  current,  as  it 
does,  for  two  electric  elevators  and  three  exhaust 
fans.  Each  lighting  engine  has  a  12x1 2-inch  cylinder, 
makes  275  revolutions  per  minute,  and  is  rated  at  80 
horse-power.  Each  drives  a  so-kilowatt  multipolar 
generator  working  against  a  pressure  of  120  volts. 
The  engine  driving  the  dynamos  for  electric  power 
has  a  g^xio-inch  cylinder,  makes  300  revolutions  per 
minute,  and  drives  a  3o-kilowatt  multipolar  generator, 
the  voltage  in  this  case  being  220. 

The  building  is  wired  on  the  three-wire  svstem  for 
3,236  16  candle  power  lamps.  Nine  different  circuits 
are  controlled  from  the  switchboard  in  the  engine- 
room.  These  circuits  comprise  the  circuit  for  the 
pipe  cellar  and  basement,  the  halls  from  the  ground 
floor  to  the  mezzanine,  from  the  mezzanine  to  the 
roof,  the  dark-room  circuit  supplying  those  rooms 
below  the  fifth  floor  that  need  light  in  the  daytime, 
and  five  circuits  supplying  the  remaining  rooms  in 
the  building.  Independent  of  the  main  cut-out  box 
on  each  floor  are  placed  above  the  hanging  ceiling 
four  distribution  boxes  so  that  each  room  may  be  cut 
out  from  the  mains  separately.  The  dark-room  cir- 
cuit on  each  floor  is  also  controllable  by  a  distribution 
box  for  the  same  reason.  A  double  throw  switch  at 
the  main  switchboard  serves  to  connect  the  whole 
system  with  the  Edison  Electric  Illuminating  Com- 
pany's streets  mains  in  case  of  any  accident  to  the 
lighting  plant  in  the  building. 

The  elevator  plant  consists  of  five  hydraulic  eleva- 
tors, and  two  run  by  electric  power,  all  furnished  by 
Otis  Brothers  &  Co.  Four  of  the  five  hydraulic 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


213 


elevators  are  designed  for  passenger  service  only, 
while  the  fifth  has  special  heavy  parts  for  lifting 
safes  when  needed,  and  at  other  times  is  in  passenger 
service.  All  of  the  elevators  have  vertical  machines 
run  by  water  furnished  by  two  Worthington  com- 
pound pumps,  with  cylinders  16"  and  25"xi3"^"xi5*. 
Beside  these  is  an  Otis  electric  pump  discharging 
into  the  pressure  tank,  it  being  possible  to  use  this 
when  there  is  no  steam  for  supplying  the  larger 
pumps.  The  pressure  tank  for  this  system,  which  is 
6  feet  6  inches  in  diameter  and  20  feet  long,  is  located 
on  the  roof  to  economize  space  in  the  pipe  cellar. 
The  safe  elevator  when  run  as  such  is  operated  by  a 
io"x3^"xio"  hydraulic  pressure  pump,  the  delivery 
pipe  from  the  pump  discharging  directly  into  the 
elevator  cylinder.  One  of  the  electric  elevators  be- 
fore referred  to  connects  the  two  floors  occupied  by 
the  insurance  company's  offices.  The  other  electric 
elevator  is  in  the  tower. 


boilers.  The  last  two  pumps  are  also  cross-connected. 
A  4^"x23^"x4"  pump  is  used  to  pump  the  contents  of 
tke  blow-off  tank  into  the  sewer.  The  water  connec- 
tions between  the  feed  pumps  and  boilers  are  so  ar- 
ranged that  the  water  may  pass  through  the  heater 
or  not  as  desired.  Still  another  6"x4"x6"  pump  is  used 
to  pump  the  contents  of  the  cesspool  into  the  sewer, 
the  cesspool  containing  the  drips  from  the  engines 
and  elevator  cylinders. 

The  cylinders  of  every  pump  and  engine  are 
relieved  by  the  required  drip  pipes  connected  to 
Nason  traps,  the  discharge  from  these  leading  to  the 
blow-off  tank.  The  blow-off  tank  is  3  feet  in  diam- 
eter and  9  feet  long.  The  discharge  from  the  pump 
emptying  this  tank  connects  with  the  sewer  outside 
of  the  plumber's  trap.  The  steam  pipes  throughout 
the  plant  are  covered  with  magnesia  sectional  cover- 
ing, furnished  by  Robert  A.  Keasbey,  of  New  York 
City. 


FIG.5 


B 


FIG.3 


POWER   AND   HEATING  PLANT,   MANHATTAN   LIFE  INSURANCE  BUILDING. 


Outside  of  the  elevator  plant  there  are  six  Worth- 
ington duplex  pumps  and  one  Knowles  deep-well 
pump  for  drawing  water  from  a  i  ,os6-foot  artesian 
well  driven  by  P.  H.  and  J.  Conlon,  of  Newark,  N.  J. 
The  water  from  this  well  will  be  used  at  a  later  date 
for  condensing  purposes  and  flushing  water-closets 
set  in  the  building.  Of  the  six  duplex  pumps  the 
largest  is  a  I4"x7^"xi2*  Underwriters'  fire  pump,  and 
the  next  in  size  is  a  7^"x4^"xio"  for  supplying  the 
house  tanks.  The  boiler  feed  pump  is  a  6"x4"x6"  and 
is  so  piped  with  the  house  tank  pump  that  either  may 
be  used  for  either  purpose.  A  second  6"x4"x6"  pump 
operated  by  a  Kieley  pump  governor  is  used  to  return 
the  condensation  from  the  heating  system  to  the 


The  engine-room  is  ventilated  by  a  48-inch  Sturte- 
vant  blower  operated  by  a  vertical  engine.  The  air 
is  forced  through  a  system  of  ducts,  shown  by  the 
dotted  lines,  to  various  parts  of  the  pipe  cellar.  The 
boiler-room  is  ventilated  by  a  different  but  somewhat 
similar  system,  a  Seymour  fan  in  this  instance  dis- 
charging the  air  into  the  boiler-room  and  at  the  same 
time  ventilating  the  three  front  rooms  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  building,  the  fan  drawing  its  supply  from 
those  rooms. 

Figure  3  shows  an  elevation  of  the  breeching  and 
smoke  flue  in  the  boiler-room  and  the  manner  in 
which  it  drops  into  an  underground  flue,  which  is 
shown  by  dotted  lines  in  Pig.  i,  and  which  connects 


214 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


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STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


215 


to  a  large  sheet-iron  stack  running  to  tne  roof.  The 
construction  of  the  undergiound  smoke  flue  presents 
one  of  the  most  interesting  pieces  of  work  in  the 
steam  plant.  Because  of  the  position  of  the  caisson 
piers  supporting  the  cantilevers  upon  which  the 
building  rests,  and  the  vast  network  of  pipes,  and  of 
the  desire  to  keep  the  boiler-room  as  cool  as  possible, 
it  was  next  to  impossible  to  run  a  smoke  flue  from 
the  boilers  to  the  stack  above  the  floor  of  the  pipe 
cellar.  The  fact  that  the  subsoil  under  the  pipe 
cellar  was  considerably  below  the  level  of  the  surface 
water  prevented,  in  the  minds  of  the  designers  of  the 
plant,  the  use  of  a  brick  flue,  and  for  that  reason  re- 
course was  had  to  a  series  of  connected  sheet-iron 


Figure  5  shows  the  manner  of  connecting  the  cais- 
sons. In  this  instance  the  caisson  A,  to  which  the 
strap  B  and  angle  iron  C  were  first  riveted,  would  be 
sunk  first,  the  bulkhead  D  being  temporarily  bolted 
to  the  angle  iron.  The  next  caisson  would  then  be 
sunk,  this  also  having  a  bulkhead  similarly  bolted  in 
place.  When  the  second  caisson  had  reached  the 
required  depth  the  bulkheads  would  be  removed  and 
the  two  caissons  drawn  together  and  secured  by 
rivets  through  the  angle  irons. 

Figure  4  shows  a  horizontal  and  vertical  section 
through  the  caissons,  flue,  and  insulating  materials. 
Inside  of  the  caissons  comes  a  coating  of  asphalt, 
and  at  the  bottom  is  allowed  to  remain  a  part  of  the 


VERTICAL  SECTION 
Hater  Proof  floor  of  ceUar 

^M 


caissons  in  which  the  flue  is  laid.  The  caissons  were 
of  the  section  shown  by  Fig.  4.  Each  caisson  was 
about  1 1  feet  in  length  by  7  feet  in  width.  At  four 
different  points  in  the  bottom  of  each  caisson  were 
cut  four  5-inch  holes,  and  a  fl?nge  riveted  on  the  in- 
side from  which  a  5-inch  pipe  extended  upward  for  a 
few  feet  above  the  top  of  the  caisson.  The  sinking 
of  the  caissons  was  done  separately,  each  being  put 
in  its  proper  location,  when  sheet  piling  was  driven 
around  the  place  in  which  it  was  to  be  sunk.  After 
a  temporary  bulkhead  of  sheet  iron  was  bolted  on  to 
each  end  of  the  caisson,  it  was  heavily  weighted  with 
pig  iron  and  steam  syphons  connecting  to  one  or 
more  of  the  5-inch  pipes  referred  to,  the  latter  suck- 
ing out  a  sufficient  amount  of  the  subsoil  to  allow  the 
caisson  to  sink  a  few  inches.  The  other  end  of  the 
caisson  was  then  sunk  in  the  same  manner,  and  by 
this  means  it  was  possible  to  lower  it  uniformly. 


FIG.  8. 

pig  iron  to  weight  the  caisson  while  the  flue  was 
being  put  in.  The  spaces  between  the  pig  iron  are 
then  filled  with  cement  to  make  a  smooth  surface  on 
which  to  lay  the  lo-inch  brickwork.  A  second  layer 
of  bricks,  separated  from  the  first  by  a  layer  of 
asphalt,  lines  the  chamber  that  contains  the  flue. 
The  flue  is  supported  by  the  brick  collars,  which  are 
cut  away  at  the  bottom  to  allow  any  water  that 
might  collect  in  the  air  space  around  the  flue  to 
drain  toward  one  end,  where  it  can  be  syphoned  out 
through  a  pipe  provided  for  the  purpose. 

We  are  indebted  to  the  architects  of  the  building, 
Messrs.  Kimball  &  Thompson,  and  to  Messrs.  Gillis 
&  Geoghegan,  the  contractors  of  the  heating  plant, 
beside  the  several  parties  before  mentioned,  for  blue- 
prints and  data  trom  which  this  description  was  pre- 
pared. * 


216 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND   HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


217 


PART    II. — DESCRIPTION     OF     THE     HEATING      AND      VEN 
TILATING    SYSTEM. 

NINETEEN  riser  lines,  starting  from  various  points 
in  the  pipe  cellar,  supply  steam  to  a  large  number  of 
radiators  placed  on  the  17  stories  of  the  building. 
The  building  is  heated  by  the  direct  system,  contain- 
ing in  all  about  500  radiators,  presenting  a  total  heat- 
ing surface  of  about  19,000  square  feet. 

Figures  5,6,  and  7  have  been  made  from  the  plans 
of  three  of  the  floors,  these  being  selected  to  show 
the  manner  in  which  the  building  is  warmed  and 
ventilated.  It  will  be  noticed  that  many  of  the 
radiators  are  located  under  the  window,  and  where 
that  is  the  case  the  window  sash  contains  a  metal 
bronze  register  with  a  2^x2o-inch  opening  provided 
with  a  slide  and  handle.  The  fresh  cold  air  entering 
the  rooms  at  this  point  meets  and  mingles  with  the 
warm  current  rising  from  the  radiators. 

There  may  be  seen  on  Fig.  7,  the  eleventh  floor, 
four  vent  flues  lettered  A,  B,  C,  and  D.  The  flues  A 
and  B  extend  from  the  pipe  cellar  to  the  roof,  flue  C 
from  the  ceiling  of  the  second  floor  to  the  roof,  and 
flue  D  from  the  ninth  floor  to  the  roof.  The  plan 
adopted  in  ventilating  the  various  rooms  was,  when 
possible,  to  connect  each  room  by  means  of  registers 
directly  to  the  main  vent  shaft,  and  where  the  rooms 
could  not  be  vented  in  this  way  they  were  connected 
to  the  nearest  vent  shaft  by  galvanized  ducts  built  in 
the  corridors  in  a  space  between  the  ceiling  and  the 
floor  above.  All  of  the  floors  of  the  building  are  ven- 
tilated in  a  manner  similar,  in  a  general  way,  to  one 
of  the  three  floors  shown. 

To  insure  a  constant  movement  of  air  from  the 
rooms  into  and  out  of  the  flues  A,  C,  and  D,  three 
Blackman  exhaust  fans  were  erected  in  the  space 
between  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  floors.  A  fan 
was  not  provided  for  the  flue  B,  as  that  contains  the 
12-inch  exhaust  pipe  that  runs  from  the  pipe  cellar  to 
the  roof,  as  it  was  thought  that  the  heat  radiated 
from  that  pipe  would  be  sufficient  to  insure  a  move- 
ment of  air  in  the  flue.  The  fans  for  the  flues  A  and 
D  are  both  42  inches  in  diameter,  while  that  for  C  is 
48  inches.  Each  of  the  three  fans  is  driven  by  Lun- 
dell  electric  motor. 

The  radiators  are  supplied,  as  has  been  said,  by  19 
riser  and  return  lines.  The  sizes  of  the  risers  are  31^ 
inches  from  the  subbasement  to  the  third  floor,  3 
inches  to  the  sixth  floor,  2>£  inches  to  the  ninth  floor, 
2  inches  to  the  twelfth  floor,  \y2  inches  to  the  four- 
teenth floor,  and  i^"  inches  to  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  floors.  The  returns  are  one  size  smaller. 

Figure  8  shows  in  a  general  way  the  manner  in 
which  the  pipe  lines  are  run,  the  method  of  taking 
care  of  expansion,  the  connection  to  the  radiators, 
etc.  All  branches  to  the  radiators  are  made  between 
the  floors  and  ceilings  and  inclosed  in  galvanized 
jron.  The  air  va.ve  on  each  radiator  is  connected  by 
a  J^-inch  drip  pipe  into  a  drip  main  running  to  the 
pipe  cellar,  where  it  is  led  to  the  nearest  sink. 

The  grade  of  the  steam  mains  and  branches  in  the 
basement  is  such  that  the  pipes  drain  toward  the 
riser  lines.  Drip  connections  at  their  extremities,  or 
where  they  connect  with  the  riser,  are  provided, 
which  connect  with  an  independent  drip  pipe  which 


carries  any  water  of  condensation  by  a  main  drip  pipe 
back  to  the  return  tank.  The  connection  for  the 
radiators  is  made  by  a  short  length  of  pipe,  an  elbow 
being  introduced  forming  a  right  angle  in  the  run  of 
the  pipe  so  that  the  turning  of  the  elbow  on  the  short 
length  of  pipe  will  allow  the  riser  to  expand  without 
moving  the  radiator  or  straining  the  pipe.  The  loop 
shown  above  the  connection  to  the  radiator  shows  the 
method  of  tak;ng  care  of  the  expansion  of  the  risers. 


TEST  OF  A  STEAM-HEATING  PLANT  IN 
THE  CARTER  BUILDING. 

BOSTON,  MASS.,  May  22,  1894. 
To  the  Editor  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR:  It  may  be  of  interest  to  your  readers  to  be 
made  acquainted  with  the  results  of  a  test  which  I 
made  last  March  on  the  heating  plant  of  the  Carter 
Building,  which  has  recently  been  erected  at  the 
corner  of  Water  and  Washington  Streets,  Boston, 
and  I  take  pleasure  in  submitting  the  principal  facts 
concerning  the  same,  as  follows: 

The  building  is  one  of  nine  stories  and  a  basement, 
and  the  accompanying  plan  of  the  basement  shows 
the  form  of  the  building,  together  with  the  general 
arrangement  of  the  mains  and  returns,  as  well  as  the 
risers.  The  building  is  heated  on  the  gravity  sys- 
tem, the  water  of  condensation  returning  into  a 
Webster  heater,  which  seals  the  returns,  and  from 
which  the  water  is  pumped  automatically  to  the 
boiler.  The  boiler  is  one  of  the  Babcock  &  Wilcox 
type,  rated  at  100  horse-power,  and  it  supplies  steam 
to  the  main  heating  pipe  through  a  reducing  valve. 
The  intended  pressure  in  the  system  is  limited  to  five 
pounds,  and  arrangements  are  made  so  that  the  ex- 
haust steam  from  the  elevator  pump  of  the  building 
can  be  employed  in  connection  with  live  steam.  The 
main  heating  pipe  has  a  diameter  at  its  largest  point 
of  7  inches.  There  are  19  steam  risers  and  19  return 
risers,  and  these,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  extend 
from  the  basement  to  the  ninth  floor.  The  radiators 
in  the  halls  on  the  first  floor  are  of  the  National  type. 
The  remaining  radiators  on  the  first  floor  and  all  on 
the  second  floor  are  of  the  Perfection  flue  type. 
Those  on  the  remaining  floors  are  of  the  National 
type,  26  inches  high,  all  being  manufactured  by  the 
American  Radiator  Company.  The  total  amount  of 
heating  surface  contained  in  the  radiators  is  5,633 
square  feet;  that  in  the  risers  and  their  branches, 
1,927  square  feet.  The  covered  mains  in  the  base- 
ment present  a  surface  of  388  square  feet;  the  un- 
covered mains,  262  square  feet,  and  the  return  pipes 
beneath  the  floor  of  the  basement,  229  square  feet, 
making  a  total  uncovered  radiating  surface  amount- 
-ing  to  8,051  square  feet,  and  a  total  covered  surface 
of  388  square  feet.  The  area  of  the  window  surface 
of  the  building  is,  in  round  numbers,  14,000  square 
feet,  and  the  total  volume  of  the  building,  including 
halls  and  basements,  430,000  cubic  feet. 

The  test  was  made  in  comparatively  warm  weather, 
the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere  outside  being  60 
degrees.  For  this  reason  the  results  are  not  of  much 
value  in  showing  the  capabilities  of  the  plant  in  warm- 
ing the  building  in  cold  weather,  but  the  test  does 


218 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


show  the  rate  of  condensation  in  the  entire  building, 
and  the  quantity  of  steam  required  to  maintain  it  in 
a  working  condition  under  the  circumstances  which 
then  existed,  and  this  furnishes  data  which  are  of 
unusual  valve  owing  to  the  infrequency  of  such  tests. 
The  quantity  of  steam  consumed  was  determined  by 
observations  upon  a  meter  properly  verified  which 
was  attached  to  the  feed  pipe  of  the  boiler.  All  the 
radiating  surface  was  set  to  work,  and  when  this  had 
become  thoroughly  heated  the  test  was  continued  for 
a  period  of  two  hours.  Observations  were  made  of 
the  temperature  of  the  air  in  each  room,  together 
with  the  pressure  of  the  steam,  the  temperature  of 
the  water,  and  the  record  of  the  meter.  The  results 
were  as  follows: 

1.  Duration hours        2 

2.  Weight  of  steam  used  per  hour Ibs.  1,942 

3.  Temperature  of  return  water degs.     175 

4.  Pressure  of  steam  in  system  above   the  atmos- 

phere  Ibs.        3.7 

5.  Average   temperature  of   the  air  in  the  various 

rooms  of  the  building degs.       84.9 

6.  Rate  of  condensation  per  square  foot  of  total  un- 

covered surface Ibs.        0.24 

7.  Rate  of  transmission  of  heat  per  square  foot  of  un- 

covered surface  per  degree  difference  of  temper- 
ature between  that  of  the  steam  and  that  of  the 

surrounding  air B.  T.  U.         1.74 

GEORGE  H.  BARRUS. 


HEATING  OF  THE  COLUMBUS  BUILDING  IN 
CHICAGO. 

THE  Columbus  Building  is  a  1 3-story  structure  cov- 
ering a  100x90  lot  located  on  the  corner  of  State  and 
Washington  Streets,  Chicago,  111.  The  first  floors  of 
the  building  are  occupied  by  the  two  firms  of  Hyman, 
Berg  &  Co.  and  Ritkin  &  Brooks.  W.  W.  Boyington 
&  Co.  were  the  architects  of  the  building,  and  the 
contractors  for  the  heating  plant  were  F.  W.  Lamb 
&Co.,  of  Chicago,  111. 

We  have  only  given  a  plan  ot  the  basement  floor. 
Fig.  i,  and  of  what  is  known  as  the  pipe  chamber, 
Fig  2,  and  a  vertical  section,  Fig.  3,  these  being 
sufficient,  together  with  the  text,  to  describe  the 
heating  system.  The  heating  system  of  this  build- 
ing, as  is  customary  with  most  buildings  of  its 
character,  is  supplied  with  the  exhaust  steam  from 
the  elevator  pumps  and  engines,  and  when  this  sup- 
ply is  insufficient  live  steam  is  turned  into  the  system 
through  a  reducing  valve.  The  piping  is  arranged 
on  the  overhead  system  with  single-pipe  supply. 
Starting  from  the  low-pressure  header  in  the  boiler- 
room,  a  lo-inch  main  supply  pipe  with  valve  is  carried 
up  through  a  pipe  chase  to  the  pipe  chamber  before 
referred  to.  The  pipe  chamber  is  a  space  specially 
provided  between  the  ceiling  of  the  twelfth  story  and 
floor  of  the  thirteenth  story.  Here  the  lo-inch  riser 
divides  into  two  8-inch  horizontal  main  supply  pipes, 
•which  are  run  around  the  building,  one  taking  in  the 
north  and  part  of  the  west  side  of  the  building  and 
the  other  main  the  balance,  as  will  be  seen  by  Fig. 
2.  Each  branch  supplies  the  same  amount  of  heat- 
ing surface.  These  mains  are  reduced  in  size  as  the 
descending  risers  are  taken  off  from  them,  eccentric 
fittings  being  used  when  such  reduction  takes  place, 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


219 


thus  keeping  the  entire  bottom  of  the  pipe  on  a  line, 
varying  only  with  the  pitch  of  the  same.  The  de- 
scending risers  are  taken  out  of  the  bottom  of  these 
mains  in  the  manner  shown  by  Fig.  4,  this  being  an 
enlarged  view  of  the  pipe  chamber  in  Fig.  3.  The 
pipes  that  lead  to  the  thirteenth  story  and  the  attic 
are  also  shown.  These  are  shown  by  broken  lines  in 
Fig.  2  to  distinguish  them  from  the  descending 
risers.  Each  riser  is  provided  with  a  valve  close  to 
the  main  and  one  in  the  basement,  where  it  enters  a 
return  main.  The  descending  risers  are  3^  inches 
in  diameter  from  the  pipe  chamber  to  the  seventh 
floor,  where  they  reduce  to  3  inches  and  so  continue 
to  the  third  floor,  where  they  reduce  to  2}£  inches  in 


size  and  as  such  continue  to  the  return  in  the  base- 
ment. At  the  seventh  floor  each  riser  is  fitted  with 
a  special  expansion  joint  shown  by  Fig.  7.  Each 
riser  is  anchored  in  two  places,  half-way  above  and 
below  the  expansion  joint.  This  by  reason  of  the 
expansion  brings  a  vertical  movement  at  the  top  and 
bottom  of  each  riser,  and  to  permit  this  the  horizontal 
steam  main  at  the  top  and  the  return  main  at  the 
bottom  are  suspended  by  pipe  hangers  shown  in  Fig. 
6.  A  helical  spring  is  introduced  to  allow  a  move- 
ment of  the  pipe.  The  return  main,  which  is  shown 
in  Fig.  i ,  is  4  inches  in  diameter.  This  main  leads  the 
condensation  in  the  heating  system  back  to  a  300  horse- 
power Excelsior  feed-water  neater  of  the  open  type. 


HEATING   OF  THE   COLUMBUS  BUILDING   IN   CHICAGO. 


220 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


The  total  amount  of  radiation  in  375  radiators  in 
the  building  is  estimated  at  13,725  square  feet.  The 
radiators  are  located  under  the  windows,  and  are 
connected  to  the  risers  by  a  single  pipe  run  under 
the  floor.  Figure  5  shows  in  plan  the  manner  of 
making  the  connections,  a  special  T  being  provided 
as  shown.  The  boilers  are  two  in  number,  of  the 
return-tubular  type,  7  feet  in  diameter  and  21  feet 
long,  each  containing  about  2,400  square  feet  of 
heating  surface.  Each  is  rated  at  200  horse-power. 
A  7-inch  pipe  from  each  boiler  is  connected  into  a  12- 
inch  drum,  and  from  this  a  6-inch  pipe  containing  a 
6-inch  reducing  valve  with  by-pass  leads  to  a  12-inch 
drum  for  the  low-pressure  heating  system.  From 
this  drum  the  lo-inch  pipe  before  mentioned  leads  to 
the  pipe  chamber. 

The  boiler  supplies  with  steam,  besides  the  various 
pumps,  two  75  horse-power  Ideal  engines,  which 
drive  dynamos  for  the  incandescent  lights  in  the 
building.  Two  7j£"x4'/^"x6"  Blake  boiler  feed  pumps 
are  provided.  As  the  heater  receives  the  returns 
from  the  heating  system,  the  boiler  feed  pumps  are 
so  connected  that  they  may  draw  their  supply  from 
the  heater  and  return  it  to  the  boilers,  or  when  the 


heating  system  is  shut  off,  as  in  the  summer  months,, 
the  pumps  can  take  their  supply  from  the  city  press- 
ure tank  and  force  the  water  through  the  heater  and 
then  into  the  boilers.  The  house  pump,  which  is  14" 
x6"xio"  in  size,  has  its  suction  connected  with  the 
city  pressure  tank.  The  house  pump  is  controlled  by 
a  Fisher  pump  governor.  The  house  and  boiler 
feed  pumps  are  cross-connected  in  such  a  manner 
that  either  may  be  used  for  either  duty.  In  deter- 
mining the  size  of  boilers  to  be  used  the  designer  of 
the  plant  had  also  to  provide  for  three  elevator 
pumps;  two  compound  pumps  with  I4"x2o"xi2"xi2" 
cylinders  and  one  2o"xi2"xi2"  in  size. 

A  lo-inch  pipe  receives  the  exhaust  and  carries  it  to 
a  Kieley  grease  extractor,  from  which  it  passes  into  the 
heater  before  mentioned.  Just  beyond  the  heater  an 
8-inch  connection  is  made  with  the  heating  system, 
while  at  a  point  beyond  in  the  exhaust  pipe  is  an  8- 
inch  Kieley  back-pressure  valve  with  a  by-pass  as 
shown  on  Fig.  i.  The  exhaust  pipe  is  8  inches  in 
diameter  from  the  heater  to  Lyman  exhaust  head  on 
the  roof,  it  being  reduced  from  10  inches,  as  a  part  of 
the  steam  would  be  condensed  in  the  heater  as  well 
as  in  the  heating  system. 


HEATING  OF  THE   COLUMBUS   BUILDING   IN   CHICAGO. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


THE    HEATING    AND   VENTILATION    OF   A 

NEW  HAVEN  OFFICE  BUILDING. 
THE  accompanying  plans  show  the  heating  and 
ventilating  apparatus  of  the  new  office  building  that 
has  recently  been  erected  for  the  New  York,  New 
Haven,  and  Hartford  Railroad  Company  at  New 
Haven,  Conn.  The  building  is  in  the  shape  of  the 
letter  L,  extending  along  two  streets  nearly  at  right 
angles  for  distances  of  275  and  235  feet.  The  build- 
ing is  about  60  feet  deep  on  both  streets.  A  plan  of 
the  first  floor  and  basement  is  given,  and  for  con- 
venience a  continuous  part  of  the  wing  is  shown  re- 
moved to  one  side.  The  building  is  ventilated  and 
heated  entirely  by  the  hot  blast  or  blower  system.  A 
Sturtevant  heater,  containing  the  equivalent  of  14,500 
lineal  feet  of  i-inch  pipe,  warms  the  air,  which  is 
driven  to  the  various  parts  of  the  building  by  two 
steel-plate  blowers  with  blast  wheels  7  feet  in  diameter 
and  4  feet  wide.  The  heater  is  so  subdivided  that 
the  temperature  of  the  entering  air  may  be  varied  by 
shutting  off  the  desired  portion.  The  fan  is  rated 
to  deliver  85,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per  minute  when 
making  235  revolutions  in  that  time.  Each  fan  is 
driven  by  a  yxioj^-inch  Sturtevant  horizontal  engine, 
connected  to  the  shaft  of  its  respective  blower  by 
belt.  The  exhaust  from  these  engines  is  utilized  in 


the  heater.  The  fans  are  set  on  brick  foundations 
with  a  long  shaft  connecting  the  two,  couplings  being 
provided  so  that  they  may  be  disconnected  if  nec- 
essary, and  so  that  both  fans  may  be  driven  by  either 
or  both  engines. 

Galvanized  iron  ducts  lead  from  the  fans  to  the 
bases  of  the  vertical  flues .  The  latter  are  lined  with 
galvanized  iron,  and  are  all  8x12  inches  in  size,  unless 
otherwise  marked  on  the  basement  plan.  The  inlet 
registers,  which  are  placed  about  8  or  9  feet  above 
the  floor  level,  are  about  65  per  cent,  greater  in  net 
area  than  the  flues  leading  to  them.  A  vent  duct 
draws  off  the  foul  air  from  the  rooms.  This  duct  is 
the  same  size  as  the  inlet,  unless  marked  to  the  con- 
trary on  the  plan. 

Steam  for  the  plant  is  generated  in  three  horizontal 
return-tubular  boilers,  each  54  inches  in  diameter, 
16  feet  long,  and  containing  58  3-inch  tubes,  each  15 
feet  in  length.  The  condensed  steam  from  the  heat- 
ing coils  is  collected  in  a  receiving  tank,  from  which 
it  is  pumped  back  in  boilers  by  a  6"x4"x6"  Worthing- 
ton  pump. 

The  plant  was  designed  by  the  B.  F.  Sturtevant 
Company,  Boston,  Mass.,  who  were  also  the  con- 
tractors for  the  heating  and  ventilating  plant.  The 
New  Haven  Heating  and  Plumbing  Company  were 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATION   FOR   THE   N.  Y.  N.  H.  &  H.  R.  R.  CO.'s  OFFICE  BUILDING,    NEW   HAVEN,    CONN. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


the  contractors  for  the  steam  plant  proper  in  the 
building. 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  THE  WAL- 
BRIDGE  OFFICE  BUILDING,  TOLEDO,  O. 
THE  plant  recently  installed  in  the  Walbridge  office 
building,  Toledo,  O.,  is  an  illustration  of  the  manner 
in  which  a  complete  system  of  indirect  radiation, 
fresh-air  supply,  fan  circulation  and  ventilation  has 
been  carefully  applied  to  a  large  office  building  con- 
structed without  regard  to  the  location  or  operation 
of  such  a  plant  and  affording  no  special  opportuni- 
ties for  the  convenient  arrangement  of  the  ducts, 
flues,  etc.,  which  were,  nevertheless,  arranged  simply 
and  directly  without  essentially  obstructing  or  defac- 
ing the  rooms.  The  building  is  about  44x130  feet,  six 
stories  high  throughout  and  eight  stories  high  at  one 
end.  It  is  of  iron  and  brick  construction  and  has 
large  exposed  window  surfaces  on  all  sides  except 
the  narrow  rear  wall.  The  building  is  owned  by 
Shaw,  Kendall  &  Co.,  Mr.  E.  O.  Fallis,  of  Toledo,  is 
tbe  architect,  and  the  heating  and  ventilating  appar- 
atus was  installed  by  the  Buffalo  Forge  Company, 
from  whose  working  drawings  and  data  we  illustrate 
(see  pages  224  and  225)  and  describe  the  general 
features. 


The  main  requirements  were  that  practically  the 
total  volume  of  air  in  the  building  should  be  with- 
drawn and  replaced  every  10  minutes  by  fresh  air  at 
a  temperature  of  70°  Fahr.  in  the  coldest  weather, 
and  it  was  designed  to  accomplish  this  with  a  uniform 
velocity  of  700  feet  in  the  small  branch  ducts. 
Fresh  cold  air  from  the  cellar  intake  is  delivered  to 
the  heater  by  a  i2o-inch  fan  of  the  steel-plate 
type,  full  housing,  with  a  blast  wheel  85  inches  in 
diameter  and  42^  inches  wide.  The  fan  is  propelled 
by  means  of  a  Buffalo  direct-connected  iox8-inch  hor- 
izontal engine.  The  discharge  of  the  fan  is  right- 
hand,  bottom  horizontal  discharge.  The  heater  con- 
tains nine  coils  of  i-inch  steam  pipe, four  rows  in  each 
manifold,  4  feet  6  inches  long  by  7  feet  high,  a  total 
of  4,500  feet.  Dampers  are  so  arranged  that  the  fresh 
air  may  either  pass  through  the  heater  or  around  it 
and  be  delivered  hot  or  cold  or  mixed  in  any  desired 
proportion,  in  the  foot  of  the  vertical  brick  hot-air 
flue  F,  Figs,  i,  2,  4,  5,  7,  8,  and  9,  whence  it  is  distrib- 
uted throughout  the  different  floors  through  rectan- 
gular galvanized-iron  conduits  T  T,  etc.,  which  are 
placed  just  under  the  ceiling  and  are  made  12  inches 
deep  (not  9  inches  as  first  designed  and  as  marked 
on  the  drawings)  and  wide  enough  to  reach  within 
l%  inches  from  each  wall,  thus  practically  forming 
an  inconspicuous  new  ceiling  i  foot  below  the  plas- 


HEATING  AND   VENTILATION   FOR   THE   N.  Y.  N.  H.  &  H    R.  R.   CO.'s   OFFICE  BUILDING,  NEW   HAVEN,  CONN. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


ter.  The  conduits  T  T,  etc.,  enter  the  flue  F  by 
flaring  openings  A  A,  etc.,  sloped  upward  to  promote 
easy  flow  of  the  air.  From  the  main  conduits  T  T, 
etc.,  side  branches  B  B,  etc.,  deliver  the  hot  air  to 
the  various  separate  rooms,  where  they  terminate  in 
registers  R  R,  etc.  These  registers  are  all  just  below 
the  ceilings,  and  just  above  the  floors  other  registers 
V  V,  etc.,  each  command  separate  flues  which  ex- 
isted in  the  thickness  of  the  wall  or  have  been  built 
specially  as  flat  rectangular  pipes  D  D  D,  etc.,  on 
the  wall  surfaces,  and  carry  the  foul  air  up  to  the 
ventilation  chamber  U  between  the  upper-story  ceil- 
ing and  the  roof.  The  currents  of  fresh  air  and  of 
foul  air  throughout  are  indicated  by  straight  and 
crooked  arrows  respectively,  and  sections  of  fresh 
and  foul-air  ducts  or  conduits  by  solid  black  rect- 
angles. 

The  88  rooms  heated  are  from  9  to  15  feet  in  height, 
most  of  them  being  n  feet  high,  and  have  a  total 
contents  of  251,813  cubic  feet  of  air  to  be  warmed, 
besides  54,400  cubic  feet  in  the  halls.  This  air  is  in- 
tended to  be  entirely  changed  every  10  minutes, 
thus  requiring  a  supply  of  from  193  cubic  feet  per 
minute  for  the  smallest  rooms,  n'xi6'xii',  to  418  feet 
per  minute  for  the  largest  rooms,  I9'x2o'xn'.  The 
average  size  of  the  rooms  is  about  i6'xi6'xn',  and 
requires  about  300  cubic  feet  per  minute.  One  ex- 
ceptional room,  No.  S3,  on  the  seventh  floor  (Fig.  9), 
is  i8'x48'x9',  and  requires  776  cubic  feet  per  minute, 
which  is  supplied  by  two  n-inch  ducts.  The  ducts 
are  all  cylindrical,  8,  9, 10,  n,  or  12 inches  in  diameter, 
their  areas  being  respectively  50,  63,  78,  95,  and  113 
square  inches.  The  area  of  cross-section  required  to 
furnish  the  necessary  amount  of  air  at  a  uniform 
velocity  throughout  of  700  feet  per  minute  having 
been  determined,  the  nearest  larger  corresponding 
size  of  duct  was  generally  used.  For  instance,  for 
room  28  58-inch  section  was  required,  and  a  g-inch 
duct  with  63-inch  area  was  used.  In  some  cases, 
however,  the  second  larger  size  \vas  thought  suitable 
so  as  to  give  an  excess,  as  in  room  16,  Fig.  i,  where 
48  square  inches  was  required,  and  ag-inch  duct  with 
an  area  of  63  inches  was  used.  The  hot-air  registers 
were  g'xia",  8"xis',  Q'XU",  io"xi6",  io"xi4",  I4"x22", 
I2"xi5",  and  i2"xig",  their  areas  being  always  con- 
siderably in  excess  of  those  of  the  ducts  they  com- 
manded. The  vent  flues  are  rectangular,  5*x8", 
5"xii/  5"xg",  5"xi3",  and  5"xi6",  with  registers  6"xio", 
8"xio",  8"xio",  8"xi2",  and  8"xis".  In  most  instances 
only  one  heating  and  one  ventilating  register  was 
used  in  any  one  room,  but  in  a  few  cases  they  were 
doubled. 

Figure  i  is  a  plan  of  the  first  floor,  and  all  the 
other  stories  except  the  second  correspond  to  this  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  building.  Figures  2  and  3  are 
vertical  sections  at  Z  Z  and  X  X,  Fig.  i,  respectively. 
Figure  4  is  a  part  plan  of  the  basement,  showing  the 
position  of  the  engine,  fan,  heater,  etc.  Figure  5  is 
a  section  at  X  X,  Figs,  r  and  4,  showing  the  location 
of  the  heater  in  the  bottom  of  the  flue  F,  and  the 
connection  of  one  of  the  main  ceiling  conduits  T, 
which  have  a  handhole  H  to  permit  the  adjustment 
of  the  movable  inlet  damper  K.  Figure  7  is  a  plan 
of  a  part  of  the  third  floor,  the  fourth  and  fifth  floors 


immediately  above  it  being  the  same.  Register  P  is 
in  the  side  of  main  hot-air  flue  F  to  heat  the  hall. 
Figures  8  and  9  are  respectively  sixth  and  seventh 


floor  plans.  The  operation  of  the  above  described 
apparatus  has  been  such  that  the  owners  of  this 
building  are  having  the  same  system  put  in  another 
building  x:nder  similar  conditions. 


HEATING  IN  THE  WAINWRIGHT  BUILDING, 
ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 

PART  I. — GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  AND  OPERATION  OF 
SYSTEM,  AND  BASEMENT  PLANS  SHOWING  ARRANGE- 
MENT OF  PLANT  AND  SIZE  AND  LOCATION  OF  PIPES, 
ETC. 

THE  Wainwright  Building  is  a  lo-story  structure  of 
modern  fireproof  construction,  situated  on  the  corner 
of  Seventh  and  Chestnut  Streets,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  and 
is  intended  for  use  as  an  office  building.  The  archi- 
tects are  Charles  K.  Ramsay,  of  St.  Louis,  Adler  & 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


N 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


225 


826 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Sullivan,  associated,  and  the  building  is  117^ 
feet  in  ground  plan.  A  court  30  feet  wide  at  the  rear 
divides  that  part  of  the  building  into  two  wings  40 
and  50  feet  wide  respectively,  and  75  feet  deep. 
Every  room  is  provided  with  direct  light  and  air, 
and  four  fast-running  elevators  afford  access  to 
the  several  floors.  There  are  in  all  210  offices  in  the 
building. 

The  system  of  heating  is  of  the  low-pressure  type, 
having  all  drips,  drains  and  return  "sealed"  before 
intersection,  and  was  installed  by  the  Missouri  Steam 
Heating  Company,  St,  Louis,  Mo  ,  to  whose  Secre- 
tary, Mr.  H.  W.  Stone,  we  are  indebted  for  the  data 
and  for  descriptions  and  explanations  to  a  member  of 
of  our  staff.  All  the  exhaust  steam  from  the  several 
engines,  of  which  there  are  three  of  65  horse-power 
and  one  of  35  horse-power,  pumps  and  other  mech- 
anism, is  utilized  for  heating  purposes,  as  required. 
The  operation  of  the  system  is  in  general  as  follows: 
The  exhaust  from  the  several  engines  in  the  building 
is  gathered  into  a  12-inch  header,  and  passed  through 
a  Stewart  grease  extractor;  then  to  a  500 horse-power 
"Hoppes"  feed- water  heater  and  purifier,  from  which 
it  goes  to  the  main  receiving  tank.  There  is  a  by- 
pass around  the  heater  and  exhaust  connection  to  the 
atmosphere  at  this  point,  the  use  of  which  is  con- 
trolled by  valves.  The  exhaust  pipe,  which  is  12 
inches  in  diameter,  runs  to  the  roof,  where  it  is 
capped  by  a  "Lyman"  "A"  exhaust  head.  This  ar- 
rangement allows  the  steam  to  be  used  in  the  heating 
system f  passed  through  the  feed-water  heater,  or 
both,  or  discharged  directly  into  the  open  air. 

The  main  receiving  tank  has  a  3J^-inch  high-press- 
ure steam  connection  to  the  boilers  for  the  purpose  of 
supplying  such  additional  steam  to  the  heating  sys- 
tem as  may  be  required.  The  flow  of  the  steam  is 
regulated  by  a  pressure-reducing  valve,  controlled 
by  the  pressure  in  the  tank.  The  distribution  of 
steam  for  heating  purposes  throughout  the  building 
is  made  from  the  main  receiving  tank.  The  water  of 
condensation  from  the  entire  apparatus  is  returned 
to  the  bottom  of  this  main  receiving  tank,  from  which 
it  escapes  continuously  through  the  medium  of  a 
"Fitch"  chronometer  balanced  valve,  operated  by  a 
lever  and  ball  float,  so  adjusted  as  to  maintain  a 
nearly  constant  water  line  in  the  tank.  This  valve 
is  suitably  by-passed  for  use  in  case  of  emergency. 
The  escaping  water  is  led  to  the  hot-water  discharge 
tank  through  a  valved  4-inch  pipe.  Arrangements 
are  so  made  that  the  water  is  discharged  from  the 
tank  at  a  point  midway  between  the  bottom  of  the 
tank  and  the  surface  of  the  water,  when  discharging 
either  through  the  balance  valve  or  the  4-inch  by-pass 
outlet. 

The  receiving  tank  is  placed  as  near  the  flow  as 
possible  in  order  to  give  it  the  utmost  hydraulic  head 
in  connection  with  the  heating  apparatus.  The  water 
of  condensation  from  the  entire  heating  apparatus  is 
thus  returned  to  the  hot-water  discharge  tank,  and 
from  there  returned  to  the  boilers  by  two  Smith-Vaile 
direct-acting,  outside- packed  plunger  pumps,  7"xs"x 
10".  The.  boilers  carry  a  minimum  steam  pressure 
of  no  pounds,  while  that  of  the  heating  apparatus 
does  not  exceed  two  pounds,  gauge  pressure. 


A  catch-basin  24  inches  in  diameter  by  48  inches 
deep,  with  the  top  set  flush  with  the  floor,  is  provided 
and  has  a  4-inch  trapped  overflow  to  the  sewer.  This 
catch-basin  receives  the  blow-off  from  the  boilers  and 
the  various  drip  and  drain  pipes  from  the  several 
pumps,  engines,  tanks,  etc.  It  has  a  3-inch  vapor 
pipe  discharging  4  feet  above  the  roof.  The  main 
receiving  tank  sets  on  brick  piers  with  stone  caps. 
It  is  4  feet  in  diameter  and  12  feet  long  and  is  made 
of  C.  H.  No.  i  wrought  iron,  the  shell  one-fourth 
inch  thick,  the  heads  dished  and  three-eighths  inch 
in  thickness.  The  tank  was  tested  to  a  hydraulic 
pressure  of  100  pounds.  This  tank  is  provided  with 
a  glass  water  gauge,  a  low-pressure  steam  gauge, 
and  has  in  the  center  of  one  of  the  heads  a  No.  2 
Eclipse  manhole  and  fittings.  Attached  to  the  inside 
of  this  tank  is  a  copper  ball  float  with  a  lever  made 
of  2^-inch  steam  pipe,  having  a  small  hole  drilled 
into  it  near  the  float.  The  other  end  is  fastened  to 
a  piece  of  brass  tube,  fitted  to  a  stuffing-box  screwed 
into  the  side  ot  a  tank.  The  outer  end  of  this  tube 
is  supplied  with  a  compression  cock,  and  the  whole 
operates  so  as  to  remove  the  air  from  the  inside  of 
this  tank  at  a  point  near  the  water  line,  when  at  its 
extreme  positions,  or  at  any  point  between  the  high 
and  low-water  mark  as  desired. 

Attached  to  this  tank  is  also  a  i2-inch  back-press- 
ure valve  designed  to  "cushion"  before  seating  so  as 
to  prevent  noise.  All  return  connections  from  the 
heating  apparatus,  the  feed-water  purifier,  and  the 
hot-water  boiler  used  in  connection  with  the  house 
supply  are  made  to  the  bottom  of  the  receiving  tank, 
and  all  discharge  connections  from  traps  used  in 
connection  with  high -pressure  steam  are  made  at  the 
top.  Each  return-pipe  connection  to  this  tank  at  the 
bottom  has  a  valved  outlet,  just  back  of  the  return 
valve,  with  a  connection  to  the  catch-basin,  so  ar- 
ranged that  each  division  or  appliance  may  be  drained 
without  interfering  with  the  working  of  the  others; 
suitable  connections  are  also  made  for  draining  this 
tank  into  the  catch-basin. 

The  hot-water  discharge  tank  is  36  inches  in  diam- 
eter by  6  feet  long,  and  of  similar  design  and  con- 
struction to  the  main  receiving  tank.  This  tank  has 
one  4-inch  and  one  6-inch  threaded  flange,  riveted 
on  to  the  bottom,  and  a  i^-inch  threaded  opening, 
re-enforced  at  the  top.  The  6-inch  opening  is  com- 
manded by  an  inside  arrangement  which  is  secured 
from  syphoning,  and  draws  off  the  water  from  a 
point  half-way  between  its  surface  and  the  bottom. 

Within  this  tank  is  a  copper  ball  float,  the  stem  of 
which  works  through  a  stuffing-box,  and  is  connected 
by  chains  to  a  "Fitch"  chronometer  valve  on  the 
steam  supply  to  the  boiler  feed  pumps,  for  regulat- 
ing the  steam  supply  to  same,  according  as  the  level 
of  the  water  rises  or  lowers  in  the  tank.  This  tank 
is  also  fitted  with  a  glass  water  gauge  and  suitable 
drainage  connections  to  the  catch-basin.  This  tank 
is  set  at  such  an  elevation  that  its  low-water  line  is 
6  inches  above  the  upper  set  of  pump  valves,  and  at 
the  same  elevation  as  the  water  line  of  the  main  re- 
ceiving tank.  This  tank  lies  horizontally  and  has  its 
normal  water  line  established  at  a  point  about  two- 
fifths  of  the  diameter  up  from  the  bottom. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


227 


The  feed-water  heater  and  purifier  receives  steam 
from  the  12-inch  exhaust  header  and  discharges  it 
into  the  main  receiving  tank.  It  draws  feed  water 
from  the  surge  tank  and  delivers  it  to  the  main  re- 
ceiving tank  and  is  fitted  with  an  automatic  air  valve 
and  a  compression  air  cock  for  exhausting  the  air 
from  the  interior.  A  hot-water  boiler  4  feet  in 
diameter  and  10  feet  long,  of  similar  design  and  con. 
struction  to  the  main  receiving  tank  is  provided  and 
contains  36  lineal  feet  of  3^-inch  brass  pipe  in  two 
coils  fitted  up  with  both  live  and  exhaust  steam  con 
nections  so  that  either  series  may  be  used  to  heat  the 
water  in  the  tank  for  the  house  supply.  This  tank  is 
set  at  such  an  elevation  that  the  return  outlet  of  the 
coils  is  36  inches  above  the  high-water  line  of  the 
main  receiving  tank.  There  are  for  boiler  feed  ser- 
vice two  boiler  feed  pumps  of  the  size  previously 
stated  and  two  duplex  pumps  of  the  same  make,  size 
io"x6"xi2".  for  house  tank  service.  The  boiler  feed 
pumps  are  controlled  by  automatic  regulating  valves 


operated  by  float  attachments  and  the  house  pumps 
are  controlled  by  Fisher  gravity  governors,  both  au- 
tomatically regulating  the  supply  of  steam  so  that 
they  will  begin  and  stop  pumping  when  the  water 
level  in  the  tanks  reaches  the  desired  limits.  The 
suction  and  discharge  headers  of  the  tank  pumps  are 
so  cross- connected  with  the  suction  and  discharge 
headers  of  the  elevator  pumps  that  either  one  or  both 
may  be  called  into  service  when  extra  service  is  re- 
quired on  elevators.  There  is  a  tank  in  the  base- 
ment, 5^  feet  wide,  8  feet  long  and  6  feet  high,  to 
which  the  condensed  water  from  the  exhaust  con- 
densing head  on  top  of  main  exhaust  pipe  is 
drained.  This  water  is  used  entirely  in  the  elevator 
system,  and  when  there  is  more  than  is  required  for 
this  purpose,  as  is  very  frequently  the  case,  it  is  used 
in  the  boilers  also.  A  4^"x2^"x5"  "  Hooker"  steam 
pump,  omitted  in  the  drawing,  Fig.  i,  to  avoid  con- 
fusion, is  used  for  this  purpose.  There  is  also  one 
6"x6"x8"  "Hooker"  single-acting  air  pump  for  forc- 


STCAM  SUPPLIES 

FIRST  FLOOR  MAINS 

EXHAUST  "• 

RETURNS 

PUMPS  TANKS  &C 

RISERS 

FIRST  FLOW  CONNECTIONS 


HEATING    IN    THE   WAINWRIGHT   BUILDING,    ST.    LOUIS,    MO. 


228 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


ing  air  into  the  compression  tanks  for  the  elevator 
service. 

In  addition  to  the  four  passenger  elevators,  there 
is  an  ash  hoist,  from  the  boiler-room  to  alley,  with  a 
capacity  of  2,500  pounds,  operated  from  the  same 
tanks  as  the  other  elevators. 

The  elevator  service  is  operated  by  two  "  Blake  " 
compound  duplex  pumps  i8j^  inches  and2q"xi6"xi8". 
A  marble  gauge  board  in  engine-room  contains  seven 
"  Marsh  Tripod  "  gauges,  indicating  the  pressures  in 
the  different  steam  and  water  services.  The  house 
supply  pumps  are  connected  so  that  they  may  be  used 
in  connection  with  one  of  the  elevators,  when  addi- 
tional pressure  is  required  for  lifting  unusual  weights, 
as  safes,  etc. 

Figure  i  is  a  general  plan  showing  the  arrange- 
ment of  pumps,  boilers,  and  other  apparatus,  the 
principal  valves  and  connections  and  the  sizes  and 
location  of  pipe  mains  in  the  basement.  The  base- 
ment is  spacious  and  well  lighted  and  ventilated, 
affording  exceptionally  ample  and  convenient  space 
for  the  apparatus,  which  is  well  set  and  is  notable  for 
its  neat  and  attractive  appearance. 


PART  II. — OPERATION  AND  PROPORTIONING  OF  RADIATOR 
PIPES,  CONNECTIONS  OF  RADIATORS  AND  RISER  LINES, 
AND  PLAN  OF  DISTRIBUTION  MAINS. 

THE  main  steam  supply  pipe  for  radiators  on  the 
first  floor  and  basement  is  4  inches,  starting  from  the 
valved  outlet  on  the  main  receiving  tank,  extending 
to  the  outer  wall  of  the  building,  as  shown  on  the 
plans.  It  is  there  divided  into  two  s^-inch  branches, 
extending  around  the  outer  walls  of  the  building  to  a 
point  of  intersection.  This  pipe  is  pitched  to  drain 
in  the  direction  of  the  steam  currents,  and  is  supplied 
with  all  the  necessary  drain  and  drip  pipes,  con- 
nected with  the  return  pipe.  The  main  supply  pipe 
for  the  rest  of  the  building  is  10  inches,  starting  from 
the  valved  outlet  on  the  main  receiving  tank.  It 
leads  to  the  pipe  shaft,  up  which  it  is  extended  to  the 
attic  space.  It  there  divides  into  two  branches,  each 
one  running  along  the  center  line  of  the  building  to 
the  extremes  of  each  L.  From  these  branches  arms 
are  run  over  to  the  outer  walls  and  extend  down 
through  the  several  stories  to  the  basement,  where 
they  are  connected  into  the  main  return  pipe  of  this 
system  leading  to  and  connected  with  the  receiving 


ft' 

3i' 


/-?" 


FiG.2 


-to" 


VERTICAL  DISTRIBUTION  PIPES  DOWN 


,r* 


THE  E.NCINUWNO  RECORD 


HEATING  IN  THE  WAINWRIGHT  BUILDING,   ST.    LOUIS,   MO. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


tank.  The  descending  lines  are  of  sizes  according  to 
the  following  requirements:  Descending  lines  sup- 
plying 225  feet  or  less  to  start,  i}£  inches;  supplying 
235  to  320  feet  to  start,  2  inches;  supplying  320  to  480 
feet  to  start,  2>£  inches;  supplying  480  to  800  feet  to 
start,  3  inches;  supplying  800  to  1,200  feet  to  start, 
3}^  inches.  The  horizontal  arras  in  the  attic  con- 
necting the  descending  lines  to  the  main  supply  pipe 
are  made  of  pipe  one  size  larger  than  the  top  section 


f '1.0 oft 


FIFTH 


FOURTH 


fLOOff 


THI  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 
FIG.  3. 

of  the  descending  line.  In  all  horizontal  steam  pipes, 
where  they  are  reduced  in  size,  they  are  provided 
with  eccentric  fittings  to  avoid  pockets. 

Each  of  the  descending  lines  is  connected  at  a 
point  near  the  ceiling  and  below  the  shut-off  valve, 
by  a  «^-inch  connection  to  a  i  ^-inch  air  pipe  extend- 
ing around  the  basement  near  the  ceiling  and  con- 
tinued to  the  tank-room,  where  it  is  connected  with 
the  main  return  pipe,  back  of  its  cut-out  valve.  An 
automatic  air  valve  and  a  common  compression  air 
valve  are  attached  to  this  air  pipe  for  drawing  off  the 
air  in  the  system.  The  connections  to  each  descend- 
ing line  are  made  so  that  none  of  the  condensed 
water  in  them  can  enter  this  air  pipe.  All  the 
radiators  are  connected  to  the  mains  and  the  descend- 
ing lines  by  a  single  feed  connection,  and  where  this 
connection  is  more  than  18  inches  long  it  is  made  of 
pipe  one  size  larger  than  that  called  for  by  the  open- 
ing in  the  radiator,  and  this  has  a  heavy  pitch  toward 


the  riser.  The  total  heating  surface  in  the  building 
is  18,000  square  feet,  this  quantity  being  based  upon, 
a  unit  having  an  efficiency  equal  to  that  of  a  two-row 
vertical  tube  radiator.  All  radiators  are  tapped  right 
hand  for  single-feed  connections  of  the  following 
sizes:  Radiators  containing  20  feet  or  less,  tapped  i 
inch;  containing  20  to  40  feet,  i^  inches;  containing 
40  to  60  feet,  \y2  inches;  containing  60  to  120  feet,  2 
inches.  The  center  of  the  feed  opening  is  always  6^ 
inches  above  the  floor. 

All  steam  traps  are  automatic,  continuous  dis- 
charge float  traps,  by-passed  and  drained  to  the 
catch-basin.  These  traps  are  designed  of  a  size  to 
discharge  double  the  quantity  of  water  received.  All 
steam  valves  are  of  globe  or  angle  pattern  and  all 
water  valves  are  gate  pattern.  All  valves  are  fitted 
with  soft  removable  disks.  All  radiator  valves  have 
finished  trimmings  and  rough  body  wooden  wheel 
and  composition  disk,  and  have  a  lift  so  that  the  disk 
rises  entirely  out  of  the  steam  current.  Each  radiator 
has  an  automatic  air  valve  provided  with  a  float  so 
that  in  the  event  of  the  radiators  becoming  filled 
with  water  through  a  wrong  manipulation  of  the 
supply  valve  the  operation  of  the  air  valve  will  stop 
until  the  error  has  been  corrected. 

Wherever  any  of  the  pipes  are  supported  from  an 
iron  girder,  pillar,  column  or  pier,  incombustible  in- 
sulation is  interposed  between  the  pipe  and  hanger, 
so  as  to  avoid,  to  the  greatest  possible  extent,  the 
transmission  of  sound  from  the  pipes  to  the  structure. 
All  high  pressure  pipes  were  tested  to  135  pounds 
steam  pressure,  and  all  low-pressure  pipes  to  10 
pounds  steam  pressure.  During  the  cold  winter  that 
has  elapsed  since  the  installation  of  this  work  the  ra- 
diators have  heated  all  the  rooms  to  a  temperature 
of  70°  Fahr. ,  with  a  pressure  in  the  receiving  tank 
not  exceeding  60  inches  hydraulic  head. 

Figure  2  is  a  plan  of  the  attic  showing  the  arrange- 
ment near  the  ceiling  of  the  steam  distribution  pipes 
that  are  supplied  from  main  riser  A  and  branched  to 
feed  the  vertical  pipes  going  down  around  the  outer 
walls.  A  riser  which  is  located  near  the  middle  of 
the  end  of  each  wing  and  is  connected  to  the  attic 
distributing  mains  by  a  3-inch  branch  is  accidentally 
omitted  here. 

Figure  3  is  a  diagram  of  a  vertical  elevation  of  a 
pair  of  vertical  supply  pipes.  The  connected  radi- 
ators on  every  floor  are  not  shown. 

PART  III. — LOCATION  OF  RISERS  AND  RADIATORS  ON  OFFICE 
FLOORS,  DETAILS  OF  CONNECTIONS  AND  AUTOMATIC 
PUMP  GOVERNOR. 

FIGURE  4  is  a  typical  plan  showing  arrangement  of 
offices  and  location  of  risers  and  radiators  on  one  of 
the  office  floors. 

Figure  5  is  a  sketch  showing  connection  of  riser  to 
distribution  main  in  the  attic. 

Figure  6  shows  the  connection  of  a  radiator  to  the 
vertical  riser  by  means  of  a  branch  crossing  behind 
it  and  provided  with  ells  to  allow  the  rise  and  fall  due 
to  temperature  variations. 

A  Fisher  steam  pump  governor  performs  the  dual 
service  of  controlling  the  water  supply  to  the  elevated 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


231 


tank  system  and  to  the  high  or  fire  service  system 
from  the  same  pump,  so  that  either  may  act  independ- 
ently of  the  other.  Figure  7  shows  the  connections  to 
pump  and  tank.  Figure  8  is  a  vertical  section  show- 
ing the  construction  and  position  of  the  governor. 
The  casing  A,  with  its  double-disk  unbalanced  valve 
B,  is  set  between  the  cylinder  chest  and  throttle  valve. 
Steam  enters  at  C,  lifts  valve  B,  because  the  upper 
disk  is  larger  than  the  lower  one,  filling  casing  or 
shell  A,  and  passing  out  at  D  into  the  engine 
cylinders  and  operating  the  pump.  When  the  ele- 
vated tank  has  been  filled  to  the  desired  level,  at 
which  point  the  ^s-inch  overflow  or  down  pipe  E 
is  connected,  the  water  quickly  fills  this  pipe,  and 
the  weight  of  this  column  of  water  on  the  top  of  the 
piston  F  in  the  upper  cylinder  G  presses  it  down. 
The  piston-rod  H  is  an  extension  of  the  stem  of 
valve  B.  All  move  together,  thus  gradually  closing 
valve  B,  shutting  off  the  steam,  slowing  up,  and 
finally  stopping  the  pump.  The  column  of  water 

FIG.  5 


the  steam,  aided  by  spring  U,  raises  valve  B  and 
starts  the  pump  again,  thus  automatically  starting 
and  stopping  the  steam  pump  as  may  be  necessary 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 


in  overflow  pipe  E  runs  out  through  stop-cock  M — 
which  is  always  partly  open— to  lower  tank  or  sewer, 
releasing  the  pressure  from  the  top  of  piston  F,  when 


to  keep  the  water  in  the  elevated  open  tank  at  prac- 
tically the  same  level  all  the  time.  The  pressure  in 
the  discharge  pipe  from  the  pump  is  practically 
constant,  and  this  pressure  is  brought  through  the 
i^-inch  pipe  Q  and  valve  P  on  to  top  of  piston  R  in 
lower  cylinder  and  controls  the  ordinary  running  of 
the  pump.  Wheel  W  in  yoke  is  fixed  immovably  to 
the  valve  stem.  Turning  it  to  the  right  the  stem  is 
screwed  up  into  the  bottom  of  the  piston-rod  T,  com- 
pressing spring  U  and  raising  valve  B  and  admitting 
steam,  and  when  the  steam  pump  is  moving  at 
speed  desired  the  upper  wheel  in  yoke  is  turned  to 
the  right  until  screwed  up  against  the  bottom  end  of 
piston-rod  locking  the  parts  in  place.  The  whole 
action  of  the  device  is  automatic  when  once  set  and 
regulated. 

The  entire  basement,  including  boiler  and  engine 
room,  the  toilet-rooms  on  every  floor  and  barber  shop 
in  attic,  are  ventilated  by  the  exhaust  system,  two 
go-inch  "  Buffalo"  steel-cased  blowers  being  used  for 
this  purpose,  and  operated  by  one  25  horse-power 
"  Eddy"  electric  motor,  placed  in  the  attic,  and  dis- 
charging the  foul  air  through  the  roof. 


MISCELLANEOUS   HEATING   INSTALLATIONS. 


UTILIZATION  OF  LOW-PRESSURE  STEAM 
FOR  HEATING  AND  ELEVATOR  SERVICE. 
THE  San  Jose  apartment  house  at  the  corner  of 
Madison  Avenue  and  Ninetieth  Street,  New  York 
City,  is  heated  by  steam  at  10  pounds  pressure,  and 
the  elevator  pumps  are  run  by  steam  of  the  same 
pressure.  The  steam  for  all  purposes  is  generated 
in  two  boilers  made  by  the  Bigelow  Company,  of 
New  Haven,  Conn.  Each  boiler  is  13  feet  long  and 
36  inches  in  diameter,  with  34  3j^-inch  tubes,  and  is 
provided  with  a  steam  dome  from  which  steam  is 
taken.  The  steam  pipe  from  each  boiler  runs  into  a 
tee  from  which  it  branches,  one  line  going  to  the 
heating  system  and  the  other  going  to  the  pumps, 
hot- water  tank,  etc.,  which  require  steam  the  entire 
year. 


Figure  i  is  a  general  basement  plan  showing  the 
arrangement  of  the  apparatus  and  the  size  and  loca- 
tion of  steam  pipes  and  risers,  etc.  The  supply  pipes 
for  the  heating  system  are  shown  by  full  black  lines, 
their  corresponding  returns  by  broken  lines,  and  the 
supply  to  pumps,  tank  etc.,  by  a  line  broken  with 
one  dot.  Vertical  riser  lines  are  indicated  by  open 
circles.  Figures  2  and  3  are  side  and  front  eleva- 
tions showing  the  arrangement  and  general  connec- 
tions of  the  elevator  pumps. 

The  elevator,  which  was  put  in  by  the  Whittier 
Elevator  Company,  is  run  by  a  vertical  hydraulic 
machine.  One  hundred  and  forty  pounds  pressure 
is  carried  in  the  pressure  tank.  In  order  to  force  the 
water  into  the  pressure  tank  under  such  a  pressure 
with  only  10  pounds  pressure  in  the  steam  end  of  the 


UTILIZATION   OF   LOW-PRESSURE   STEAM    IN   AN   APARTMENT-HOUSE. 


STEA^M  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


233 


pump,  a  comparatively  small  piston  was  used  in  the 
water  end.  There  are  four  Snow  pumps,  each 
6"xi^"x6",  provided,  but  three  pumps  only  are  neces- 
sary to  do  the  work,  the  extra  one  being  for  use  in 
case  repairs  are  needed.  It  is  claimed  by  the  con- 
tractors that  the  four  pumps  of  that  size  were  cheaper 
than  two  of  larger  size  with  a  total  capacity  equal  to 
that  of  the  four  pumps.  The  pumps  take  steam  di- 
rectly from  the  boilers  and  the  exhaust  is  through  a 
vertical  pipe  to  a  point  above  the  roof. 


The  plant  was  designed  by  Mr.  J.  T.  Mulhern,  of 
Mulhern,  Piatti  &  Kirk,  of  New  York.  They  were 
also  the  Contractors  for  the  plant. 


The  pumps  are  automatically  regulated  by  a  Fisher 
patent  governor,  Fig.  4.  When  there  is  not  the  re- 
quired water  pressure  in  the  tank,  the  steam  supply 
entering  at  C  passes  freely  through  valve.  A  and  is 
delivered  at  D  to  the  pump.  When,  however,  the 
water  attains  a  sufficient  pressure  in  the  tank  it  is 
exerted  through  pipe  E,  which  is  connected  to  the 
receiving  tank,  and  forcing  down  a  piston  in  cylinder 
J,  causes  its  rod  H  to  close  the  valve  in  A  and  stop 
the  pump  until  the  tank  pressure  dimishes  sufficiently 
to  enable  the  counterspring  in  cylinder  J  to  raise  its 
piston  and  open  the  valve  in  A.  W  W  are  adjust- 
ment wheels  to  regulate  the  countersprings  in  J. 

There  are  about  1,948  square  feet  of  radiating  sur- 
face in  the  building,  the  radiators  all  being  on  the 
one-pipe  system.  The  return  water  is  led  back  to 
the  boilers  and  enters  through  the  blow-off  connec- 
tion. The  boilers  are  fed  by  a  pipe  supplying  water 
at  city  pressure,  its  flow  being  controlled  by  a  float 
of  standard  pattern.  The  boilers  require  but  little 
feeding,  as  all  the  steam  evaporated  is  returned  to 
them  as  water  in  the  return  pipes  with  the  exception 
of  the  little  required  for  the  elevator  pumps.  An 
automatic  damper  regulator  controls  the  draft  in  the 
chimney  and  consequently  maintains  a  constant 
steam  pressure  in  the  boilei|  The  hot-water  tank 
shown  in  the  drawing  is  heated  by  a  coil  of  pipes 
supplied  with  steam  from  the  boilers.  The  house 
pump,  which  has  to  raise  water  to  a  tank  on  the  roof 
through  a  distance  of  75  feet,  is  also  of  the  Snow 
make  and  is  6"x2"x6"  in  size. 


HEATING  OF  A  MINNEAPOLIS  STORE. 

THE  large  dry-goods  store  of  S.  F.  Olsen  &  Co.  in 
Minneapolis,  Minn.,  is  housed  in  a  building  covering 
a  lot  196x158  feet  in  size,  and  containing  three  floors 
beside  the  basement.  The  building  is  warmed  by 
steam,  partly  by  direct  and  partly  by  indirect  radi- 
ation. The  accompanying  cuts,  which  were  made 
from  sketches,  show  the  heating  arrangements.  The 
piping  is  laid  out  on  the  one-pipe  principle.  All  pipes 
are  pitched  down  toward  the  boiler,  and  the  direc- 
tion of  flow  of  the  condensation  water  is  indicated 
throughout  by  broken  arrows  and  that  of  the  steam 
by  full  arrows. 

The  plan  shown  is  that  of  the  basement,  and  for 
convenience  of  representation  the  power  plant,  which 
is  in  reality  located  in  a  sub-basement,  is  shown  on 
that  floor.  The  plant  contains  four  return-tubular 
boilers,  each  16  feet  long  by  4  feet  in  diameter, 
beside  the  necessary  pumps,  return  tank,  etc.,  that 
go  to  make  up  a  plant  of  that  class.  The  upper 
floors  of  the  building  are  heated  by  direct  radia- 
tion, the  ground  floor  by  a  combination  of  direct 
and  indirect  systems,  and  the  basement  by  direct 
radiation  from  the  steam  mains  which  are  carried 
around  its  ceiling.  These  mains  are  shown  in  the 
plan,  and  it  will  be  noticed  that  they  are  carried 
around  each  side  of  the  building  until  they  meet  at  a 
point  opposite  the  boilers.  At  D  these  pipes  drop, 
and  are  carried  under  the  floor  from  that  point  to 


284 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


the  return  tank.  Especial  pains  was  taken  to  intro- 
duce the  bends  at  E  to  allow  swing  for  the  tempera- 
ture expansions  and  contractions  in  the  long  mains. 

The  ground  floor  of  the  store  is  not  provided  with 
any  ventilation,  as  it  was  supposed  a  considerable 
quantity  of  air  would  enter  through  the  constantly 
opening  and  closing  doors  leading  to  the  street. 
The  main  marked  A  on  the  basement  plan,  Fig.  i, 
supplies  15  indirect  stacks  located  about  as  shown. 
These  stacks  are  shown  more  in  detail  by  Fig.  2, 
which  shows  them  to  consist  of  two  clusters  of  indi- 
rect stacks  suspended  from  the  ceiling  and  inclosed 
by  galvanized  iron.  Figure  3  shows  the  pipe  connec- 
tions. The  air  for  these  stacks  is  taken  from  the 
store  that  is  to  be  warmed,  passes  down  through 
register  face  A  and  around  a  baffle-plate  B,  so  as  to 


come  up  between  the  coil  sections.  The  air  after 
being  thus  warmed  passes  up  into  the  store  through 
a  second  register  C.  If  the  heating  thus  obtained 
proves  to  be  insufficient,  steam  can  be  turned  into 
eight  large  wall  coils  and  about  20  direct  radiators  of 
100  square  feet  of  surface  each  that  are  placed  about 
the  walls  and  windows  of  the  store.  The  steam  for 
these  radiators  is  supplied  by  the  main  B,  and  is  at 


U  Jim       — w  "c         -4W  i  T// 


R 


R 


6" 


FlG.I 


VESTIBULE 
,,   ABOVE    I  1R 


HEATING  OF  A  MINNEAPOLIS  STORE. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


235 


about  five  pounds  pressure,  as  is  the  steam  for  the 
indirect  stacks.  The  main  B  also  supplies  about 
3,500  square  feet  of  radiation  on  the  second  and  third 
floors. 

As  before  stated,  the  doors  of  the  store  are  opening 
and  closing  constantly  and  this  might  cause  discom- 
fort to  those  near  the  doors,  and  especially  so  in  a 
locality  of  so  severe  a  climate  as  that  of  Minneapolis. 
To  prevent  cold  drafts  double  doors  were  provided 
in  the  vestibule  beside  the  main  doors  to  the  store, 
and  a  radiator  containing  120  square  feet  of  surface 
was  placed  between  each  pair  of  doors.  A  plan  of 
this  is  shown  by  Fig.  4,  as  well  as  a  sectional  eleva- 
tion showing  the  pipe  connections  to  the  main.  As 
the  steam  for  these  radiators  is  supplied  by  a  main 
that  is  independent  of  the  others,  it  can  be  supplied 
by  steam  at  any  pressure  below  the  pressure  carried 
in  the  boilers. 

The  proprietor  of  the  building  states  that  the  plant 
proved  satisfactory  in  every  way  during  a  severe 
winter.  Mr.  W.  H.  Dennis  was  the  architect  of  the 
building  and  Messrs.  Archambo  &  Morse,  of  Minne- 
apolis, the  heating  contractors,  and  to  the  latter  we 
are  indebted  for  data  from  which  this  description 
was  made. 


HEATING     OF     THE     HORTICULTURAL 
BUILDING,  WORLD'S    COLUMBIAN 

EXPOSITION. 

THE  Horticultural  Building  at  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition  is  a  conservatory  on  a  large  scale, 
consisting  of  a  central  and  two  end  pavilions,  con- 
nected by  front  and  rear  curtains  as  is  shown  by  the 


Fie.  2 

SfC  TION  fH'oS^  DOME. 


accompanying  drawing.  The  building  is  about 
1,000  feet  in  length  and  about  280  feet  in  width  at  its 
widest  part.  Quite  an  area,  however,  is  deducted 
from  this  by  two  open  courts.  The  central  pavilion 
is  covered  by  a  dome  about  190  feet  in  diameter  by 
113  feet  high,  entirely  of  glass.  This  central  dome 
and  the  two  curtains,  which  are  finely  shaded  on 
the  drawing,  are  the  only  parts  of  the  building  that 
are  heated  by  the  system  about  to  be  described. 

Each  of  the  curtains  is  about  273  feet  in  length  by 
73  feet  in  width.  The  total  floor  space  covered  by 
the  central  pavilion  and  the  front  curtains  is  about 
71, ooo  square  feet.  The  roof  and  sides  of  the  cur- 
tains are  of  glass. 

The  building  is  warmed  by  the  hot-blast  system. 
The  boilers  which  supply  the  heating  coils  with  steam 
are  located  in  a  separate  building  about  400  feet 
away.  The  boiler  plant  consisted  of  three  water- 
tube  boilers,  each  of  200  horse-power,  made  by  Wicks 
Brothers,  of  Saginaw,  Mich.  These  boilers,  beside 
furnishing  the  heating  coils  and  fan  engines  with 
steam,  also  furnished  steam  to  heat  the  Service  Build- 
ing and  a  number  of  adjacent  greenhouses.  The 
fans  and  about  36,000  square  feet  of  heating  surface 
are  located  beneath  the  central  dome  of  the  Horti- 
cultural Building.  The  fans  and  heating  plant  were 
entirely  concealed  by  a  pyramid  of  palms  and  semi- 
tropical  plants  which  reached  nearly  to  the  top  of  the 
dome.  The  fans  are  all  inclosed  in  a  fan  chamber 
and  they  discharge  the  heated  air  through  ducts 
which  cross  from  the  center  of  the  dome  each  way 
to  the  curtains.  On  reaching  the  nearest  end  of  the 
curtain  they  rise,  following  the  line  of  the  side  wall. 


SECTION  ™*M»  DUCT. 


FIG.  3 

SECTION  imE  SOUTH  CURTAIN. 
(On  line  A-B)      fagiijter 
for  return  air 


J90-O" 


Rear  Paviliot? 


ffAU  or  rfc]-. 


HEATING  OF  HORTICULTURAL  BUILDING,   WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION. 


236 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


to  the  center  and  top  of  the  building,  and  then  run 
to  the  ends  of  the  curtain,  decreasing  in  size  as  they 
near  the  end.  The  ducts  are  pierced  with  openings 
for  registers  which  allow  the  hot  air  to  be  discharged 
against  the  glass  roof.  Figure  4  shows  the  cross-sec- 
tion of  the  duct  and  a  detail  of  the  sliding  opening. 
The  air  supply  for  the  fans  comes  from  a  register  in 
the  curtains  placed  near  the  floor,  and  at  the  end  that 
is  nearest  the  fan  (Fig.  3).  A  duct  connects  this  reg- 
ister with  the  fan  chamber.  The  air  is  then  passed 
through  the  fan  chamber  and  discharged  as  before, 
thus  making  a  continuous  movement  of  the  same 
air. 

In  addition  to  these  two  ducts  for  heating  the  cur- 
tains, the  dome  is  heated  by  the  same  system,  ducts 
from  the  central  fan  leading  to  four  points  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  pavilion,  each  discharging  at  the 
side  wall  of  the  fan  chamber  as  shown  by  the  arrows 
in  Fig.  i.  The  fans  were  capable  of  delivering  329,- 
ooo  cubic  feet  of  air  per  minute, 

The  apparatus  was  in  use  during  the  winter  of 
1892-93,  while  the  building  was  filled  with  the  most 
delicate  palms,  and  it  is  said  the  plant  gave  excel- 
lent satisfaction.  The  plant  was  designed  and  in- 
stalled by  the  Samuel  I.  Pope  Company,  of  Chicago, 
111.,  by  whom  it  will  be  removed  in  the  spring  of  1894. 


HEATING  A  FLORIST'S  DELIVERY  VAN. 

ALTHOUGH  the  heating  of  cars  by  hot  water  has 
been  practiced  for  a  long  time  we  believe  the  appli- 
cation here  described  is  somewhat  of  a  novelty  in  the 
development  of  hot-water  heating.  This  is  a  warm- 
ing apparatus  designed  1>y  Mr.  John  A.  Scollay,  of 
Brooklyn,  for  a  delivery  van  for  James  Weir's  Sons, 
florists  of  the  same  city.  This  firm  conducts  a  store 
on  Fulton  Street,  Brooklyn,  which  is  supplied  by  its 
extensive  greenhouses  at  Bay  Ridge,  a  distance  of 
some  5  miles  from  the  store.  Not  only  in  making 
this  long  trip,  but  in  delivering  the  goods,  the  flowers 
would  perish  from  frost  if  in  an  ordinary  delivery 


wagon  during  excessive  cold  weather,  and  it  was  for 
the  protection  of  the  flowers  that  the  van  was  de- 
signed. 

Figure  i ,  which  is  a  rough  sketch  only,  shows  the 
van  to  be  entirely  inclosed  on  the  top,  sides,  and  front. 
Two  large  doors,  which,  however,  are  not  shown, 
serve  to  cover  the  back.  Underneath  the  wagon,  and 
suspended  from  it  by  straps,  is  a  specially  designed 
hot- water  heater,  and  from  this  a  i-inch  flow  pipe  ex- 
tends up  into  the  van  and  around  the  inside,  gradu- 
ally rising  until  it  terminates  in  a  header.  The  head- 
er is  carried  up  for  some  distance,  and  the  top  is 
blanked  off.  A  petcock  is  inserted  in  the  pipe  for 
relieving  the  apparatus  from  air  when  it  is  being 
filled.  It  is  filled  up  to  the  level  of  the  cock,  which 
is  then  closed,  and  the  water  on  expanding  com- 
presses the  air  in  the  expansion  pipe  above  it.  Two 
i-inch  returns  are  carried  back  from  the  header  as 
shown  dropping  as  they  go  toward  the  boiler  so  that 
there  will  be  no  chance  for  the  lodgment  of  air  in 
them.  The  return  pipe  drops  under  the  boiler,  and 
an  upward  branch  from  a  tee  in  it  is  connected  into 
the  boiler.  It  must  frequently  happen  that  a  wagon 
of  this  kind  is  lett  out-of-doors  for  a  considerable 
length  of  time  when  it  is  not  in  use  and  when  the  fire 
is  allowed  to  go  out.  This  ot  course  in  cold  weather 
would  mean  the  freezing  of  water  in  the  pipes  and 
their  consequent  rupture.  To  prevent  this  water  is 
drawn  off  through  the  plug  cock  B,  which  has  a  screw 
thread  on  the  outer  end  enabling  a  hose  to  be  at- 
tached to  it  and  the  apparatus  filled  with  water. 

Figure  2  shows  a  longitudinal  section  of  a  specially 
designed  boiler.  It  consists  of  two  cast-iron  boxes, 
both  open  at  one  end  and  provided  with  flanges  as 
shown.  The  larger  box  is  about  15  inches  long,  n 
inches  high,  and  9  inches  in  width.  The  smaller 
casting  is  about  i  inch  smaller  in  each  dimension  and 
the  space  between  the  two  shells  contains  the  water 
to  be  heated.  Both  are  cast  with  a  slight  taper  so  as 
to  allow  the  pattern  to  be  readily  withdrawn  from  the 
mold.  To  prevent  radiation  of  heat  from  the  boiler  the 


JrHeater. 
&-Btou-afr&Filling  Cock. 


HEATING  A  FLORIST'S  DELIVERY  VAN. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


whole  is  covered  with  i  inch  of  mineral  wool  incased 
in  a  wooden  jacket.  A  cast-iron  front  is  bolted  onto 
the  front  end  of  the  boiler  and  this  is  pierced  for 
three  i-inch  tubes  and  a  firedoor.  The  back  of  the 
boiler  is  turned  toward  the  front  of  the  wagon,  and 
to  obtain  a  sufficient  draft  the  deflector  C  is  provided 
so  as  to  cause  a  current  of  air  to  flow  through  the 
dampers  under  the  fire.  The  lower  part  of  the  de- 
flector turns  upon  a  hinge  so  that  it  may  be  swung 
-out  of  the  way  if  desired.  A  charcoal  fire  is  made 
in  a  basket  made  of  wire  netting  and  the  basket  is 
put  in  the  boiler.  To  insure  a  more  uniform  distri- 
bution of  the  air  as  it  flows  through  the  bottom  of 
the  basket  to  the  fire  the  pipes  D  were  introduced, 
each  one  being  fastened  to  the  front  by  lock  nuts. 
They  are  of  such  length  as  to  extend  well  back  over 
the  fire  so  as  to  prevent  the  air  from  taking  a  short 
cut  on  entering  the  furnace  and  only  going  through 
that  part  of  the  fire  that  is  nearest  the  furnace  door. 


FIG.  I 


Ordinarily  the  charcoal  fire  will  last  about  an  hour 
without  having  to  be  replenished.  Starting  with  cold 
water  it  takes  about  a  half  an  hour  in  extreme  wea- 
ther to  heat  the  van  up  to  such  a  temperature  as  will 
permit  the  flowers  to  be  carried  safely. 


A  STEAM   PIPE   CONDUIT. 

As  THE  buildings  of  the  University  of  Minnesota 
are  somewhat  scattered  it  is  necessary  to  carry  steam 
for  a  considerable  distance  to  warm  some  of  them. 
The  accompanying  sketches  show  the  details  of  the 
steam  pipe  conduit  that  connects  the  boiler-house 
with  the  chemical  and  physical  laboratories  and  with 
the  building  known  as  Pillsbury  Hall. 

Figure  i  is  a  plan  of  the  buildings  and  conduit,  and 
Fig.  2  shows  a  sectional  view  of  the  same.  The  con- 
duit rests  upon  23  sewer  brick  laid  on  edge,  and  on 
this  is  placed  a  layer  of  fireproof  tiling,  each  tile  be 


^ 
CM 


PLAN  or  CONDUIT 

^/Labratory////^ 

V/////s/j"S'"S//////A 

Wtffai/lsbury    Hall/////A 
Y////////////  /,////////  ///////A 

"o  A 

\ 

B 

<--   125'  £3J 

«---      2I2'5" 

<  2/2'5"      -  -  •+ 

Boiler 
House  . 


-    162'-- 


FIG.  5 

PLAN  OF  TOP  REST 


FIG.  2 

SECTION  THROUGH  CONDUIT 


ELEVATION    OF  TOP  REST 


l> 


HALF  PLAN  OF  BOTTOM  REST* 


46" 


PIPE  CARRIAGE 
FIG.  5 


i«(ilin«flt 


FIG.  4 

IRON   CASTING 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 


/tlf/t/i't/tJtJ/S/rit 

A  STEAM  PIPE  CONDUIT. 


233 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 'S 


ing  3"xi2"xi2".  A  single  tile  placed  on  edge  forms 
each  side  of  the  conduit,  while  the  top  is  also  made  of 
tiles,  supported  by  the  casting  shown  in  Fig.  4,  which 
are  put  in  at  intervals  of  12  inches.  The  sides  are 
inclosed  by  brick  laid  in  cement,  leaving  the  air 
spaces  as  shown.  A  stone  over  4  feet  6  inches  in 
width  by  6  inches  deep  completes  the  conduit,  as  far 
as  the  masonry  is  concerned. 

Three  pipes  are  carried  from  the  boiler-house  to  the 
laboratory,  while  four  are  carried  over  to  Pillsbury 
Hall  beyond.  The  former  run  in  a  branch  conduit 
to  the  laboratory.  Expansion  is  provided  for  by 
means  of  long  bends.  The  pipe  line  rises  9  inches 
at  each  bend  as  it  leaves  the  boiler-house  so  that  the 
return  water  will  flow  back  more  readily. 

Figure  3  shows  the  specially  designed  pipe  rests 
which  were  used  in  the  conduit.  The  pipes  are  car- 
ried on  two  levels.  The  pipe  rests  are  in  two  cast- 
ings— the  lower  one,  which  is  a  cast-iron  plate, 
shown  in  plan  by  C,  and  the  top  rest,  as  it  is  called, 
is  shown  in  plan  by  A  and  in  elevation  by  B  without 
the  pipes  in  position.  Each  pipe  is  supported  on  a 
spool  to  allow  for  longitudinal  expansion  of  the  pipe, 
the  spool  in  turn  rolling  upon  a  carriage  which  moves 
laterally  across  the  conduit  on  rollers.  This  is  shown 
in  detail  by  Fig.  5.  The  pipes  are  held  together  by 
the  fasteners  shown  in  Fig.  6. 

As  the  laboratory  is  not  yet  finished,  Pillsbury  Hall 
is  the  only  building  which  is  heated  by  pipes  in  the 
conduit.  The  lower  row  of  pipes  are  the  only  ones 
now  in  use,  the  5-inch  supplying  steam  to  that  build- 
ing, the  two  i5^-inch  pipes  and  the  2  inch  serving  as 
returns  from  the  different  heating  systems  in  the 
building.  When  the  pipes  were  put  in  place  the  air 
space  around  them  was  filled  with  mineral  wool. 

The  conduit  was  built  by  W.  F.  Porter  &  Co.,  of 
Minneapolis,  and  we  have  obtained  from  Mr.  George 
C.  Andrews  the  bill  of  material  and  labor  for  laying 
the  conduit,  which  is  as  follows: 

Pipes  and  fittings $745.96 

Sewer  brick,  67,500  in  number 540.00 

Mineral  wool,  15,080  pounds 488.18 

Cement  (Milwaukee),  152  barrels 176.89 

Firepioofing,  5,100  pieces,  3*xi2"xi2" 442.02 

Stone,  84  perch - 212.10 

Labor  bill  for  steamfitting  and  digging  ditch.  448.02 

Sundries 13.5° 

Patterns 21-83 

Additional  pipes  and  fittings 3.15 

Castings 71.73 

Lab  T  bill,  bricklaying,  etc 667.00 

Sundries 60.00 

Total  cost $3,890.38 

Prof.  T.  H.  Barr,  now  of  Cornell  University,  at  one 
time  made  some  experiments  on  the  210. 7-foot  length 
of  5-inch  pipe,  or  from  A  to  B  in  the  plan,  and  found 
that  there  was  an  expansion  of  4.45  inches  when  steam 
at  55  pounds  pressure  was  admitted,  the  temperature 
being  43.1°  Fahr.  before,  with  the  pipes  exposed  to 
the  air,  and  300  degrees  after  steam  was  admitted  in 
the  pipe. 


FIRE  UNDER  A  LOILER-ROOM  FLOOR. 
A  RECENT  fire  in  New  York  City  may  prove  instruc- 
tive to  erecters  of  heating  apparatus  as  emphasizing 
the  necessity  of  providing  sheet-metal  protection  for 
adjoining  wood  floors  of  so  generous  and  ample 
design  that  it  will  prevent  the  possibility  of  small 


coals  getting  under  or  against  the  floor  when  hot 
ashes  are  being  scraped  from  the  ashpit.  In  a 
large  store  on  Broadway,  New  York,  a  strong  smell 
of  smoke  gave  warning  of  a  fire.  After  fruitless 
search  by  those  in  charge  of  the  premises,  the  fire- 
men were  called  in,  but  their  thorough  inspection, 
aided  by  cutting  through  where  the  fire  might  be 
suspected,  revealed  no  source.  As  the  smoke  and 
odor  remained  the  firemen  established  a  watch  on 
the  premises.  The  evidences  of  fire  increased  in 
volume  and  pungency,  until  24  hours  after  they  were 
first  noted  the  cause  was  located  beneath  a  wooden 
floor  in  the  basement.  When  the  heating  boiler  A  was 
set  the  flooring  with  its  wooden  joists  was  removed; 
a  space  2  feet  on  all  sides  of  the  location  of  the  heater 
was  filled  with  sand  C,  and  bricks  set  on  edge  B, 
upon  which  the  heater  was  erected.  The  sheet-iron 
covering  E  was  nailed  on  the  floor  F  for  several  feet 
outside  the  brickwork.  Later,  another  flooring  E 


FlG.l 


was  laid  over  the  old  one,  covering  the  sheet  iron. 
From  some  cause  the  floor  boards  F  and  the  joists 
G  took  fire.  As  there  was  no  draft  under  the 
sheet  iron  and  the  brickwork  in  front  helped  to  ex- 
clude the  air,  a  process  of  charring  was  set  up, 
which,  in  the  24  hours  that  elapsed  before  its  discov- 
ery, had  eaten  its  way  around  as  shown  in  the  plan, 
Fig.  2.  It  had  not  burst  into  flame  at  any  point  until 
the  firemen  cut  through  the  sheet  iron,  although 
there  is  little  doubt  that  it  would  have  burned  up- 
ward as  soon  as  it  passed  the  confines  of  the  iron 
sheeting.  The  sheet  metal  should  obviously  have 
been  carried  down  in  front  of  the  flooring  far  enough 
to  remove  any  chance  of  the  communication  of  fire. 


STEAM   HEATING  — NOTES  AND   QUERIES. 


BOILER   PROPORTIONS. 


HORSE-POWER  OF  HEATING  BOILER. 
E.  H.  ADAMS,  Fitchburg,  Mass.,  writes: 

"  Will  you  inform  me  of  the  number  of  horse-power 
required  to  heat  4,000  square  feet  of  direct  radia- 
tion ? " 

[One  square  foot  of  direct  radiation  will  condense 
from  one-quarter  to  one-half  a  pound  of  steam  per 
hour,  as  the  pressure  varies  from  three  to  four  pounds 
to  50  or  60  pounds.  Assuming  you  are  to  heat  with 
low-pressure  steam  you  will  condense  one-quarter  of 
a  pound  per  square  foot  of  surface;  your  4,000  square 
feet  would  then  condense  about  i  ,000  pounds  per 
hour.  By  horse-power  we  suppose  you  mean  30 
pounds  of  water  evaporated  per  hour  into  steam  in 
the  neighborhood  of  70  pounds  pressure.  Neglecting 
in  the  calculation  the  slight  differences  of  pressure, 
you  would  then  require  i  ,000  •*-  30  =  33  horse-power 
in  boiler  capacity.] 


PROPORTIONS  OF  BOILER  AND  RADIATING 
SURFACE. 

B.  G.  CARPENTER  &  Co.,  Wilkesbar-e,  Pa.,  write: 

"  Supposing  we  have  a  building  to  heat  requiring 
2,500  square  feet  of  radiation.  To  heat  same  with 
low-pressure  boiler  we  generally  rate  i  foot  boiler 
surface  to  5  or  6  square  feet  of  radiation.  What  size 
boiler  would  be  required  if  we  wished  to  use  high- 
pressure  boiler  using  reducing  valve;  also  if  water 
ife  put  back  into  boiler  by  use  of  pump  or  trap.  Also 
what  size  if  we  wish  to  run  a  10  horse-power  engine 
from  same  boiler,  and  again  if  exhaust  from  engine 
were  used  as  far  as  it  would  go  towards  heating 
building,  condensation  being  pumped  back  into 
boiler  ? 

"  Supposing  we  have  a  schoolroom  of  10,000  cubic 
feet  seating  50  scholars;  we  wish  to  heat  the  room  by 
indirect  radiation  giving  each  scholar  30  cubic  feet 
of  fresh  air  per  minute.  What  amount  of  radiation 
would  be  necessary  to  do  the  work  ? 

"  Can  you  suggest  any  good  book  from  which  we 
can  make  calculations  similar  to  above? " 

[The  boiler  of  an  apparatus  is  proportional  to  the 
work  done,  and  as  a  low-pressure  radiator  of,  say 
two  to  five  pounds  pressure,  will  condense  no  more 
steam  whether  the  pressure  is  reduced  by  a  valve  or 
otherwise,  the  boiler  will  remain  the  same,  provided 
the  water  is  returned  by  any  means  and  not  lost. 

If  you  give  each  scholar  30  cubic  feet  of  fresh  air 
per  minute  it  is  equal  to  1,800  cubic  feet  per  hour, 
and  for  50  scholars  it  will  require  90,000  cubic  feet 
per  hour  for  the  room.  This  air  may  be  at  zero  or  10 
degrees  below  outside,  and  may  have  to  enter  the 
room  at  from  80°  to  90°  Fahr.,  in  zero  weather,  so 
that  the  maximum  increase  of  temperature  of  the  air 
will  be  about  100  degrees.  Then  90,000  cubic  feet 


X  100°  =  9,000,000,  or  the  total  number  of  cubic  feet 
of  air  warmed  i°  Fahr.  This  divided  by  50  gives  the 
heat  units  required  to  warm  so  much  dry  air  (or  180,- 
ooo  heat  units),  and  this  again  divided  by  1,000  gives 
the  number  of  pounds  weight  of  steam  that  must  be 
condensed  in  an  hour  in  the  radiators  or  coils,  or  180 
pounds  of  steam  condensed  to  water.  A  good  in- 
direct radiator  with  ample  flues,  etc.,  will  condense 
one-half  pound  of  water  per  hour,  so  that  about  360 
square  feet  of  radiator  with  natural  draft  in  the  flues 
will  be  required  for  such  a  room.  With  a  fan,  about 
half  the  amount,  or  180  square  feet, will  do.  Although 
this  particular  question  is  not  discussed  the  rules  ap- 
plying are  given  in  Baldwin's  "  Hot- Water  Heating 
and  Fitting."] 


FIGURING  THE  CAPACITY  OF  STEAM- 
HEATING  BOILERS. 

J.  F.  KELLY,  Butte  City,  Mont.,  writes  : 

"  Will  you,  through  the  columns  devoted  to  notes 
and  queries  in  your  valuable  paper,  show  the  usual 
method  for  figuring  the  capacity  of  horizontal  tubular 
boilers  for  heating?  The  boilers  are  each  42  inches 
in  diameter  by  12  feet  long,  and  contains  25  3^-inch 
flues.  What  would  be  the  nominal  horse-power  of 
such  a  boiler,  and  what  the  amount  of  direct  radiat- 
ing surface  such  a  boiler  would  supply?  Where  two 
such  boilers  are  designed  to  be  used  together  for  a 
single  system  of  steam  heating,  is  it  necessary  that 
they  should  be  cross-connected  with  steam  and 
water-equalizing  pipes  in  addition  to  the  steam  and 
return  headers  ?  An  uninterested  engineer  has  sug- 
gested an  arrangement  for  the  same." 

[The  term  horse-power  is  very  misleading,  especially 
in  connection  with  steam-heating  boilers,  and  in 
power  boilers  it  should  be  considered  only  after  de- 
ciding what  pressure  is  to  be  carried,  the  service  and 
action  of  the  engine,  the  fuel  and  water,  etc.  In 
common  practice  the  superficial  surface  of  all  the 
flues,  one-half  of  the  shell  and  one  head,  are  con- 
sidered in  figuring  the  heating  surface  of  a  boiler. 
Fifteen  square  feet  of  boiler  surface  is  considered  a 
boiler-maker's  horse-power,  and  30  pounds  of  water 
evaporated  per  hour  per  nominal  horse-power  of 
boiler  the  Centennial  standard.  The  proper  method 
of  finding  the  amount  of  surface  a  boiler  will  make 
steam  for  is  that  the  average  horse-power  (15  square 
feet  of  surface)  will  evaporate  without  trouble  in 
average  practice  30  pounds  of  water  per  hour.  The 
average  radiator  will  condense  from  one-quarter  to 
four-tenths  of  a  pound  of  water  per  hour,  varying 
with  the  pressure,  the  former  with  very  low-pressure 
steam  and  the  latter  with  steam  at  about  50  pounds; 
so  that  we  have  a  ratio  of  about  i  of  boiler  to  8  of 
radiator  for  low-pressure  steam.  This  will  fall  to  i 


240 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


to  5  or  6  for  steam  at  high  pressure.  It  may  be  that 
there  is  some  local  reason  why  the  steam-equalizing 
pipe  you  mention  should  be  used,  but  in  ordinary 
practice  we  should  not  endorse  it,  as  the  main  steam 
connections,  if  sufficiently  large,  are  in  themselves 
equalizers.  There  is  an  objection  to  them  on  the 
score  of  expense  and  the  additional  complication  of 
so  many  more  valves,  the  improper  use  ot  which 
might  result  in  serious  consequences.  We  cannot 
endorse  the  water-equalizing  pipe,  as  it  would  nullify 
the  action  of  your  check  valves  in  retaining  the  re- 
turn  water  in  each  separate  boiler,  in  fact  making 
the  two  practically  one.  The  return  pipes  should  be 
large  enough  to  perform  the  functions  of  a  water 
equalizer,  and  having  valves  on  steam  and  return 
water  mains  only  you  are  enabled  to  use  either 
boiler  separately  or  in  battery.] 


HOW  TO  FIND  THE  BOILER  SURFACE  WHEN 
THE  RADIATING  SURFACE  IS  KNOWN. 
FOREMAN  writes: 

"Will  you  kindly  give  a  simple  rule  through  the 
columns  of  your  valuable  journal  for  finding  the  heat- 
ing surface  of  a  boiler  when  the  radiating  surface  of 
the  building  is  known  ? 

"  What  I  require  is  to  be  able  to  reason  the  subject 
out  for  myself  when  I  have  new  conditions. 

"  I  am  very  well  aware  that  the  books  say  'about 
7  to  10  of  radiating  surface  to  i  of  boiler,'  but  this  is 
taking  the  matter  blindly.  I  know  of  one  case  where 
there  is  15  or  i6of  radiating  surf  ace  to  i  of  l>oiler  and 
good  results  are  obtained." 

[The  proper  way  for  a  beginner  in  engineering  to 
reason  on  this  subject  is  to  find  how  much  water  a 
given  radiator  surface  will  condense,  and  then  con- 
sider the  amount  of  boiler  surface  that  will  evaporate 
the  same  amount  of  water  in  the  same  time. 

Usually  in  these  questions  an  hour  is  the  unit  of 
time  that  the  engineer  should  familiarize  himself 
with,  and  when  other  units  are  used  such  as  the 
minute,  etc.,  if  he  desires  to  commit  things  to  mem- 
ory he  had  better  to  reduce  it  to  the  hour  for  easy 
memorization. 

The  experiments  made  by  the  Nason  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  the  Walworth  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, William  J.  Baldwin,  and  George  H.  Barrus 
with  vertical  steam  radiators  in  this  country,  and  by 
Tredgold  and  Hood  in  England  on  pipes,  all  prove 
that  the  units  of  heat  given  off  by  a  square  foot  of 
radiating  surface  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  inclosed 
air  of  a  room,  is  between  1.25  heat  units  for  large 
diameter  horizontal  pipes  (2  J^  to  4  inches)  and  2.25 
heat  units  per  hour  for  best  vertical  radiator  pipes  of 
ordinary  height,  for  each  degree  the  temperature  of 
the  surface  of  the  radiator  is  warmer  than  the  air  of 
the  room. 

Nearly  all  vertical  pipe  radiators  of  smooth  vertical 
surfaces  have  been  found  to  give  off  as  much  as  2 
heat  units  per  degree  difference  between  pipe  and 
air  per  hour,  but  to  be  safe  under  all  conditions  when 
finding  boiler  surface  2^  or  2j£  heat  units  may  be 
taken  as  the  basis  of  calculation. 


Therefore,  if  we  have  a  radiator  of  100  square  feet 
in  a  room  at  70°  Fahr.  with  a  temperature  of  steam 
corresponding  to  one  pound  pressure,  say  212  de- 
grees at  the  outside  surface  of  the  pipe,  then  we  have 
212°  —  70°  =  142  X  ioo  a  =  14,200  X  2.5  heat  units 
=  35.5OO  total  heat  units  given  off  by  ioo  square  feet 
of  surface  under  these  average  conditions. 

Having  found  the  total  units  of  heat  divide  them 
by  the  latent  heat  of  steam  for  the  pressure  assumed 
(one  pound  above  atmosphere),  say  962,  and  you  have 
the  pounds  of  water  that  must  be  evaporated  into 
steam  for  each  ioo  square  feet  of  radiator,  which  is 

35-5QQ  =  37  pounds. 
962 

» 

Now  30  pounds  of  water  evaporated  in  a  boiler  is 
ordinarily  considered  a  horse-power,  and  if  instead 
of  taking  2.5  heat  units  as  at  first,  we  take  an  aver- 
age of  2,  we  will  find  that  an  average  horse-power 
of  boiler  furnishes  steam  to  ioo  square  feet  of  sur- 
face. This  is  well  to  remember  for  rough  mental 
calculations. 

To  consider  the  matter  carefully,  however,  we'have 
to  find  the  square  feet  of  average  boiler  surface  that 
will  evaporate  37  pounds  of  water  in  an  hour,  and  in 
this  we  are  likely  to  find  a  variety  of  conditions  that 
are  not  met  with  in  condensing  steam.  The  condi- 
tions to  condense  steam  by  air  currents  and  radiation 
are  nearly  always  the  same.  The  conditions  to  make 
steam  from  water  depend  on  the  fuel,  the  draft,  the 
form  of  the  boiler,  and  other  circumstances,  and 
therefore  only  averages  can  be  considered  here. 

Ordinarily,  however,  i  average  square  foot  of 
either  horizontal  or  upright  fire-tube  boilers  will 
evaporate  two  pounds  of  water  per  hour,  or  if  it  will 
not  do  it  it  is  not  well  set  and  has  a  badly  propor- 
tioned grate  and  chimney.  Under  circumstances 
more  favorable  than  ordinary,  boilers  have  done 
double  this  duty,  and  three  pounds  of  water  is  not 
uncommon.  Still  we  would  never  advise  a  designer 
to  count  on  more  than  two  pounds  unless  he  is  sure 
from  actual  experience  with  a  similar  plant  that  he  is 
able  to  get  a  greater  evaporation. 

Under  such  conditions  then  all  we  have  to  do  is  to 
divide  the  pounds  of  water  to  be  evaporated  by  2, 
and  we  have  the  heating  surface  of  the  boiler,  which 
is  18.5  for  the  case  we  have  been  assuming  for  the 
ioo  square  feet  of  surface,  and  which  gives  a  ratio  of 
i.  square  foot  of  boiler  to  5.45  square  feet  of  radiat- 
ing surface. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  we  have  assumed 
the  greatest  possible  condensation  for  radiators  in 
finished  rooms,  and  it  may  be  that  we  have  exceeded 
it  nearly  one- fifth.  This  fifth,  however,  is  a  good 
factor  to  remain,  as  in  our  calculations  the  condensa- 
tion in  main  pipes  and  in  branches  has  not  been  con- 
sidered, and  unless  carefully  considered  and  treated 
separately  we  had  better  let  it  remain. 

In  the  question  of  the  boiler,  however,  we  have 
taken  the  lowest  duty,  so  that  our  answer  gives  us 
the  maximum  boiler  surface  that  is  ever  required 
with  proper  boilers. 

If  the  mains  and  the  branches  in  recesses  of  walls 
or  under  floors  are  all  carefully  covered,  2.1  heat 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


241 


units  per  degree  difference  per  hour  is  ample  to  con- 
sider, and  if  you  are  able  to  get  three  pounds  of 
evaporation  per  square  foot  of  boiler,  we  will  then 
have  212°  —  70°  =  142°  X  2.1  heat  units  =  292.2  X 
loo  a  -H  962  =  30.98  pounds  of  water  to  the  100  of 
radiating  surface,  which  latter  divided  by  three 
pounds  of  evaporation  =  10.33  square  feet  of  boiler 
surface,  or  a  ratio  of  i  of  boiler  to  9.68. 

Thus  i  of  boiler  to  5.45  of  radiating  surface  for 
direct  radiators  forms  the  maximum  fqr  boiler  sur- 
face, while  i  to  9.67  should  form  the  minimum.] 


THE  STEAM  HEATING   OF  A  PUBLIC 

BUILDING. 
J.  K.,  New  Orleans,  La.-,  writes: 

"  There  has  been  some  discussion  about  the  heat- 
ing of  a  public  building,  and  the  decision  has  been 
left  for  your  opinion.  The  cut  shows  a  rough  plan 
of  the  buildings,  which  are  exposed  on  all  sides. 
The  questions  are  (i)  the  size  and  horse-power  of  the 
boiler  required  to  furnish  the  necessary  steam  to 
warm  the  buildings;  (2)  the  size  of  main  steam  pipe 


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for  high-pressure  heating;  (3)  the  amount  of  radia- 
tion required  at  30°  Fahr.  outside  and  70  degrees  in- 
side. I  would  also  like  to  know  if  steam  traps  are 
•used  in  a  well-designed  apparatus.  The  houses 
stand  on  level  ground  and  the  condensation  is  pumped 
back  into  the  boiler.  The  cubical  contents  of  the 
houses,  their  distances  apart,  and  their  wall  and 
glass  surfaces,  are  given  on  the  plan." 

[The  first  thing  to  do  will  be  to  calculate  the 
amount  of  radiating  surface  required.  To  find  the 
amount  of  radiating  surface  in  square  feet  to  balance 
the  radiation  from  i  square  foot  of  glass,  Baldwin 
gives  the  rule:  Divide  the  differences  between  the 
temperature  at  which  the  room  is  to  be  kept  and  the 
coldest  outside  temperature  by  the  difference  between 
the  temperature  of  the  steam  and  that  of  the  room. 
The  room  being  at  70°  Fahr.,  the  coldest  outside 
temperature  30  degrees,  the  temperature  of  the  steam 
at  10  pounds  pressure  would  be  about  240  degrees; 
hen 

70  —  30 

- —  =  0.235. 
240  —  70 

YOU  will  have  to  add  50  per  cent,  more  to  this  to 
balance  the  effect  of  the  inleakage  of  air  at  the 
windows.  This  would  give  you  0.352  square  foot  of 
radiation  to  every  square  foot  of  glass  in  the  build- 
ings. On  this  basis,  i  square  foot  of  glass  being 
taken  of  the  equivalent  of  10  square  feet  of  wall  sur 
face,  the  building  A  would  require  2,651  square  feet, 


the  building  B  429  square  feet,  and  C  2,420  square 
feet  of  surface.  This  will  give  a  total  of  5, 500  square 
feet  of  surface.  Allowing  that  each  square  foot  ot 
surface  condenses  0.3  pound  of  steam  per  hour  you 
would  have  to  have  a  boiler  of  sufficient  size  to 
evaporate  5  500  X  o  3  =  1,650  pounds  of  water 
per  hour.  The  evaporation  of  30  pounds  of  water 
being  taken  as  a  horse-power,  you  would  then  require 
a  55  horse-power  boiler  to  do  this  work.  A  boiler- 
maker  usually  allows  15  square  feet  of  heating  sur- 
face to  the  horse-power.  The  55  horse-power  boiler 
is  estimated  solely  upon  the  amount  of  water  con- 
densed in  the  radiators.  Condensation  in  the  steam 
mains  and  steam  used  by  the  pump,  it  you  have  one, 
has  not  been  allowed  for.  A  65  horse-power  boiler 
would  cover  this  and  give  you  some  power  in  reserve. 
As  to  the  size  of  steam  pipe  carrying  the  steam  from 
the  power-house  for,  say  10  pounds  pressure,  we 
think  one  6  inches  in  diameter  would  be  sufficient. 

The  question  as  to  whether  or  not  it  is  good  prac- 
tice to  use  steam  traps  depends  entirely  upon  the 
system  you  are  to  install.  In  a  dwelling-house  or  a 
building  where  you  would  probably  have  a  uniform 
pressure  throughout  your  heating  system,  a  gravity 
apparatus  is  used.  This  of  course  does  not  require  a 
trap.  If,  however,  you  have  scattered  buildings  and 
a  variable  pressure,  the  returns  would  be  led  to  steam 
traps,  the  discharge  from  them  being  earned  to  a  re- 
ceiving tank  from  which  the  water  is  returned  to  the 
boiler  by  an  automatically  governed  pump. 

If  you  have  high  pressure  to  drive  engines,  etc. , 
and  use  the  exhaust  steam  for  the  heating  steam,  you 
would  of  course  have  to  return  your  condensation  in 
the  heating  system  to  a  receiving  tank,  and  pump  it 
from  there  into  your  boilers.  You  could,  if  your 
pressures  be  constant,  return  directly  to  this  tank, 
but  as  a  safeguard  to  prevent  water  from  backing  up 
into  the  return  which  is  under  the  least  pressure,  it 
is  getting  to  be  the  common  practice  to  run  each  re- 
turn into  a  steam  trap  and  discharge  from  that  into 
the  receiving  tank.] 


HEATING  BOILER  PROPORTIONS. 

DOM,  Lancaster,  Pa.,  writes: 

"I  would  like  to  have  your  opinion  as  to  the  best 
rules  for  proportioning  boiler  surface  on  both  steam 
and  hot-water  heating  apparatus:  i.  How  many 
square  feet  of  grate  surface  should  be  allowed  to  a 
square  foot  of  boiler  heating  surface  ?  2.  How  many 
square  feet,  or  fractions  thereof,  of  grate  surface 
should  be  allowed  to  a  square  foot  of  radiating  sur- 
face ?  3.  How  many  square  feet  of  boiler  surface 
should  be  allowed  to  i  square  foot  of  radiating  sur- 
face in  a  building  ?  I  would  like  to  know  the  propor- 
tions of  steam  as  well  as  hot  water." 

[We  will  try  to  answer  the  questions  in  the  order 
in  which  they  appear,  but  as  the  questions  all  relate 
to  the  same  subject,  and  probably  will  not  admit  of  a 
direct  reply  to  each,  the  order  may  become  mixed. 

First  you  ask,  "How  many  square  feet  of  grate 
surface  should  be  allowed  to  a  square  foot  of  boiler 
surface  ?  "  The  reply  to  this  is,  that  it  will  vary  from 
i  of  grate  to  10  of  boiler,  to  i  of  grate  and  40 
of  boiler,  all  depending  on  the  style  of  boiler  used. 
Your  second  question,  "  How  many  square  feet  of 


242 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


grate  surface  to  allow  to  a  square  foot  of  radia- 
tion?" admits  of  a  more  satisfactory  reply,  and  is 
really  the  key  to  the  whole  situation.  Chapter  X.  of 
Baldwin's  book  on  "Hot- Water  Heating  and  Fitting" 
shows  pretty  clearly  that  the  heat  given  off  by  hot- 
water  radiators  under  ordinary  conditions  of  practice 
is  twice  heat  units  per  degree  difference  of  tempera- 
ture per  hour,  and  the  heat  units  per  square  foot  of 
surface  per  degree  difference  of  temperature  between 
the  water  in  the  coils  and  the  air  of  the  room  to  be 
warmed,  is  a  proper  basis  on  which  to  start  in  mak- 
ing the  necessary  calculations  pertaining  to  this  sub- 
ject. 

For  hot  water,  assume  the  temperature  of  the  radi- 
ator to  be  170  degrees,  and  the  temperature  of  the 
room  70  degrees,  the  difference  will  be  ico  degrees; 
multiply  this  by  twice  the  heat  units,  and  you  have 
the  number  of  heat  units  given  off  per  square  foot  of 
surface  of  an  ordinary  radiator  for  the  average  con- 
ditions just  assumed.  If  you  have,  say  1,000  square 
feet  of  surface  in  your  house,  the  total  heat  units  re- 
quired for  that  house  for  an  hour  will  be  about  200,000 
heat  units.  In  a  pound  of  coal  there  are  about  15,000 
heat  units;  10,000  of  these,  however,  are  about  all 
that  are  available  in  ordinary  practice,  so  that  by  di- 
viding the  200,000  heat  units  by  10,000  heat  units,  the 
practical  value  of  one  pound  of  coal,  you  have  20,  the 
number  of  pounds  of  coal  it  is  necessary  to  burn  in 
an  hour  to  do  this  work.  You  can  burn  this  20 
pounds  of  coal  on  2  square  feet  of  grate  in  an  hour 
with  good  draft  and  clean  fires,  or  you  can  burn  it  on 
4  square  feet  of  grate,  under  ordinary  conditions 
of  house  practice.  If  your  grate  is  larger,  say  5  to  6 
square  feet,  it  makes  no  material  difference  when  you 
have  a  large  and  thick  bed  of  fire,  as  is  generally 
used  in  house-heating  boilers.  This  gives  you  the 
data  from  which  you  can  figure  the  answer  to  your 
second  question  when  you  know  the  conditions.  The 
heating  surface  in  the  house  and  the  grate  surface, 
as  above,  can  be  fixed  with  some  limit  of  certainty. 

The  ratio  ot  the  boiler  surface  to  the  grate  surface 
of  the  boiler  surface  to  the  radiating  surface,  is  the 
variable  quantity,  and  cannot  be  fixed  with  any  de. 
gree  of  accuracy  for  boilers  in  general.  If  a  man  has 
a  hemisphere  directly  over  a  fire,  concave  side  down, 
he  will  have  a  boiler  of  great  efficiency  per  square 
foot  of  grate,  and  i  of  grate  to  10  of  boiler,  and  to 
250  of  radiator,  may  give  very  good  results,  whereas, 
with  a  very  complicated  pipe  boiler  it  may  stand  i 
of  grate,  40  of  boiler,  and  250  of  radiator,  all  for  hot 
water.  Ordinary  heating  boilers,  of  course,  will 
come  within  those  extremes,  and,  in  our  judgment, 
about  half-way  between.  The  same  rules  apply  to 
steam.  The  direct  reply  to  No.  2  will  be  4.56  square 
feet  of  grate  to  1,000  square  feet  of  radiation.] 


HOW  TO  PROPORTION  RADIATING 

SURFACE. 
W.  R.  CRITTENDEN,  Bucyrus,  O..  writes: 

••  Will  you,  either  by  personal  letter  or  through  the 
columns  of  your  journal,  give  me  a  comprehensive 
rule  for  determining  the  proportion  of  radiating  sur- 


face to  cubic  contents  in  rooms  to  be  heated  by  steam, 
together  with  allowance  usually  made  for  exposed 
situations,  etc.?  We  are  building  new  offices,  and 
would  be  glad  to  have  some  information  of  this  kind 
with  which  to  work." 

[There  can  be  no  very  accurate  rule  for  determin- 
ing the  heating  surface  by  the  cubic  contents  of 
rooms  or  buildings.  The  method  followed  by  many 
of  allowing  i  square  foot  of  radiating  surface  to  25 
cubic  feet  of  air  space  as  a  maximum,  to  i  square  foot 
to  200  cubic* feet  as  a  minimum,  is  of  no  service  ex- 
cept in  the  hands  of  a  man  of  considerable  practical 
experience,  and  then  serious  blunders  are  made  with 
it. 

A  room  of  1,000  cubic  feet  in  a  tower  with  windows 
on  all  sides  would  probably  require  "  i  to  25,"  and  in 
windy  weather  that  might  not  do. 

The  same  room  on  a  corner  of  a  building,  with 
windows  and  outside  walls  on  two  sides,  would  prob- 
ably require  i  to  40 ;  a  middle  room  of  same  size, 
with  windows  on  one  side.,  i  to  55  or  thereabouts. 
Now  if  the  latter  room  is  made  twice  as  large,  by  in- 
creasing its  front  measurement  only,  it  will  require 
just  the  same  proportion  (i  to  55)  as  above,  because 
the  cooling  surfaces  increase  in  the  same  ratio  as  the 
cubic  contents,  whereas,  if  this  room  was  made  twice 
as  large  by  increasing  its  depth  only  it  would  require 
very  little  more  surface  than  it  did  when  it  had  only 
1,000  cubic  feet. 

Now  take  a  room  of  zo'xio'xio',  or  1,000  cubic  feet, 
on  a  corner,  with  windows  and  outside  walls  on  two 
sides,  and  it  is  evident  it  will  require  as  much  surface 
as  a  room  20  feet  on  the  front  by  10  feet  deep  and  10 
feet  high. 

The  radiating  surface  in  a  room  must  vary  in  the 
proportion  of  the  outside  walls  and  windows,  and  not 
in  the  ratio  of  its  cubic  contents. 

There  is  no  accurate  rule  that  we  know  of,  but  the 
most  comprehensive  on  the  wall  and  window  surface 
is  found  on  pages  26  and  27  of  "  Steam  Heating  for 
Buildings,''  the  summary  of  which  is  to  allow  three- 
quarters  of  a  square  foot  of  surface  to  each  square 
foot  of  glass  or  window  opening,  and  the  same  for 
each  7  to  10  square  feet  of  outside  wall  surface.  This 
is  for  low-pressure  steam,  with  good  efficient  radiators 
or  coils.  With  some  radiators  that  are  sold,  how- 
ever, three-quarters  of  a  square  foot  would  not  be 
sufficient.] 


HEATING  A  SWIMMING  BATH. 
A.  T,  ROGERS,  of  New  York,  writes  : 

"•  This  problem  has  been  put  to  me:  '  How  much 
coal  is  required  to  heat  the  water  in  a  swimming 
bath,  containing,  say  85,000  gallons  of  water,  by 
hot-water  circulation  ? '  The  system  proposed  is  to 
connect  the  flow  pipe  from  the  heater  at  one  end  of 
the  tank,  near  the  top,  and  the  return  at  the  bottom 
at  the  other  end,  thus  causing  all  the  water  of  the 
bath  to  pass  through  the  heater.  From  data  which  I 
have  obtained  I  have  calculated  that  to  raise  this 
amount  of  water  from,  say  40°  to  90°  Fahr.,  would 
require  the  consumption  of  about  2,800  pounds  of 
coal.  Allowing  a  consumption  of  five  pounds  of  coal 
per  hour  per  square  foot  of  grate  surface,  a  grate 
containing  56  square  feet  of  surface  would  be  re- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


248 


quired  to  do  the  work  in  10  hours.  I  should  like  to 
hear  from  the  experience  of  others  in  this  kind  of 
work." 

[The  85,000  gallons  of  water  would  weigh  approxi- 
mately 708,333  pounds.  To  raise  the  temperature  of 
this  weight  of  water  from  40°  togo°  Fahr.,  or  through 
50°  Fahr.,  would  call  for  the  expenditure  of  about 
708,333X50,  or  35,416,650  heat  units.  Assuming  that 


10  pounds  of  water  can  be  evaporated  by  one  pound  of 
coal  (good  ordinary  practice),  it  will  require  about 
3,541  pounds  of  coal  to  do  the  work  required  in  10 
hours,  or  at  the  rate  of  354  pounds  of  coal  burned 
per  hour.  Allowing,  say  10  pounds  of  coal  to  be 
burnt  per  square  foot  of  grate  surface  per  hour,  which 
is  a  fair  figure,  35.4  square  feet  of  grate  area  would 
be  required  to  do  the  work.] 


CONDENSATION   NECESSARY. 


AMOUNT  OF   RADIATION    IN   INDIRECT 

STACKS. 
F.  W.  J.  writes: 

"  I  have  a  schoolroom  2s'x32'xi4'  and  must  supply 
it  with  1,650  cubic  feet  of  hot  air  per  minute,  the  tem- 
perature of  room  to  be  maintained  at  70°  Fahr.  by 
natural  ventilation.  What  will  be  the  size  of  the 
indirect  radiator  required,  also  the  hot-air  duct,  cold- 
air  duct,  and  foul-air  or  exhaust  duct?  Would  it  be 
better  to  have  two  hot-air  ducts  to  maintain  the  tem- 
perature at  70  degrees  when  the  outside  temperature 
is  at  zero  ?  " 

[According  to  the  data  sent,  each  room  requires 
99.000  cubic  feet  of  fresh  per  hour — say  100,000  cubic 
feet.  The  warming  of  100,000  cubic  feet  of  air  to  100 
degrees  requires  the  condensation  of  200  pounds  of 
water  in  the  same  time,  and  400  square  feet  of  good 
indirect  radiation  will  condense  this  amount  of  water 
when  properly  boxed.  You  can  get  a  velocity  of 
about  7  feet  per  second  in  a  good  smooth  flue  with 
natural  draft,  so  that  one  flue  of  2x2  feet  will  be 
about  the  proper  thing,  or  two  flues,  each  2'xi6"  in 
sectional  area.  Cold-air  inlets  and  foul- air  outlets 
should  be  of  equal  size  and  should  have  long  easy 
turns.  A  flue  larger  than  5  square  feet  in  area  for 
the  room  mentioned  is  not  necessary,  nor  should  the 
area  be  less  than  4  square  feet.]  . 


PROPORTIONING    OF    RADIATION. 

PERCIVAL  H.  SEWARD,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  writes: 

"I  will  be  greatly  obliged  if  you  will  indicate  the 
amount  of  direct  radiation  necessary  to  heat  the  store 
described  with  low-temperature  steam,  say  five 
pounds  per  square  inch.  The  store  is  I9o'x4o'xi7' 
containing  129,200  cubic  teet.  A  building  adjoins 
the  store  for  the  entire  distance  along  one  side  and 
for  more  than  half  the  distance  on  the  other.  The 
front  is  all  of  glass.  There  are  six  windows  3x8  feet 
at  the  rear  of  the  store  and  five  2x3  feet  at  the  side, 
these  five  windows  being  set  at  the  ceiling  line. 
There  is  a  skylight  about  35x40  feet  over  the  store 
floor. 

"I  am  aware  that  this  will  seem  like  a  rather  urg- 
ent request,  but  some  of  our  fellow  fitters  and  myself 
got  into  an  argument  about  the  amount  of  radiation 
necessary,  and  we  decided  to  leave  it  to  you." 

[The  glass  front  has  an  area  of  about  680  square 
feet,  five  2x3-foot  windows  on  the  side  have  30  square 
feet,  and  six  3x8-foot  windows  in  the  rear  144  square 


feet.  The  total  area  of  exposed  wall  minus  window 
area,  is  about  1,356  square  feet,  or  the  equivalent  of 
about  135  square  feet  of  glass,  making  the  total  cool- 
ing surface  989  square  feet  of  glass,  or  its  equivalent 
in  cooling  surface.  Now,  the  radiation  to  warm  the 
store  must  be  proportional  to  the  cooling  surf  aces.  One 
square  foot  of  average  radiation  in  good  coils  or  radi- 
ator will  offset  the  cooling  done  by  2  square  feet  of 
glass,  provided  there  is  nothing  else  to  cool  the  air. 
This  would  call,  then,  for  499.5  square  feet  of  radia- 
tion. Air,  however,  is  cooled  in  other  ways,  and  it 
has  been  found  that  one-half  as  much  more  radiation 
as  will  offset  the  cooling  of  the  windows  is  usually 
ample  to  provide  for  all  further  contingencies  in  ordi- 
nary buildings.  This  would  call  for  749.25  square 
feet  of  radiation.  This  is  r  square  foot  of  radiation 
to  about  172  cubic  feet.  The  heating  surface  should 
be  near  the  front  and  rear  of  the  store — about  two- 
thirds  of  it  near  the  door  and  front  windows  and  one- 
third  in  the  rear.] 


HEATING   SURFACE    REQUIRED   TO   HEAT 
WATER  IN  TANK. 

J.  M.  &  S.,  New  York,  writes: 

"  Will  you  kindly  inform  us  how  many  square  feet 
of  heating  surface  in  a  tank  will  be  required  to  raise 
21,000  gallons  of  water  from  160  degrees  to  320  de- 
grees in  10  hours,  using  steam  at  80  pounds  press- 
ure ? " 

[To  warm  21,000  gallons  in  10  hours  through  the 
range  of  160  degrees,  between  160  degrees  and  320 
degrees,  is  the  equivalent  of  warming  17,125  pounds 
of  water  in  an  hour  through  the  same  number  of  de- 
grees, or  2,740,000  heat  units,  and  it  calls  for  the  con- 
densation  of  3,009  pounds  weight  of  steam  at  So 
pounds  pressure  to  water  at  the  same  temperature. 

This  steam  must  pass  into  the  coil  at  a  difference 
of  something  less  than  five  pounds  pressure;  in  other 
words,  a  pressure  must  be  maintained  in  the  coil  of 
something  over  75  pounds  pressure  if  the  water  is 
to  be  made  320°  Fahr.  This  determines  the  minimum 
diameter  of  the  pipe  that  supplies  the  coil;  and  with 
a  volume  of  about  5  cubic  feet  to  the  pound  weight, 
and  a  velocity  of,  say  600  feet  per  second,  it  will  re. 
quire  a  pipe  of  just  about  i  square  inch  of  area  in 
cross-section  to  pass  the  steam  required  at  80  pounds.] 


244 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


RULES  FOR  ESTIMATING  RADIATING  SUR- 
FACE FOR  HEATING  BUILDINGS. 

L.  F.  BELLINGER,  Northfield,  Vt.,  writes: 

"In  my  estimate  I  used  a  rule  for  single  rooms, 
which  is  given  on  page  37  of  Babcock  &  Wilcox's 
catalogue.  The  heating  firms  have  used  the  cubic- 
foot  method  so  far;  taking  no  account  of  windows 
evidently.  I  counted  the  halls  as  outside  surface 
and  fell  about  one-third  under  the  heating  firms  in 
heating  surface.  Is  B  &  W.'s  formulas  applicable 
to  single  rooms?  I  have  books  of  the  two  Billings 
published  by  you  and  like  them." 

[The  formula  which  you  site  for  calculating  radia- 
ting surface  for  buildings  is  ample;  it  is: 

"  Add  together  the  square  feet  of  glass  in  the 
windows,  the  cubic  feet  of  air  required  to  be  changed 
per  minute  and  one-twentieth  the  surface  of  the  ex- 
ternal walls;  then  multiply  this  sum  by  the  difference 
"between  the  required  temperature  of  the  room  and 
that  of  the  external  air  at  the  lowest  point  it  is  likely 
to  reach  and  divide  the  product  by  the  difference  in 
temperature  between  the  steam  in  the  pipes  and  the 
required  temperature  of  the  room." 

Take  the  case  of  a  corner  room  14x14  feet  by  10 
feet  high  with  four  windows,  each  of  24  square  feet 
of  glass  and  changing  its  air  once  in  15  minutes. 
Thus  by  this  rule  we  have  96  square  feet  of  glass 
plus  130  cubic  feet  air  plus  (one-twentieth  the  outside 
wall)  9.2  square  feet,  or  245.2  as  a  total.  Then 
assuming  the  room  to  be  kept  at  70°  Fahr. ,  the  out. 
side  temperature  zero,  and  the  steam  pipe  212°  Fahr., 
we  find  the  radiating  surface  thus: 


245.2  X  (7Q°—  o*) 

212°  —  70° 


=  120.8  square  feet. 


This,  under  the  cubic-foot  rule,  gives  a  ratio  of 
I  square  foot  of  surface  to  each  16.2  cubic,  which 
is  a  much  higher  ratio  than  is  obtained  under  any 
other  rule  we  know  of. 

The  contents  of  this  room  being  1,960  cubic  feet, 
65  square  feet,  or  i  to  30,  would  be  called  good  for 
direct  radiation,  with  accidental  ventilation. 

The  rules  laid  down  by  ' '  Thermus  "in  our  columns 
for  steam  and  hot-water  heating  give  different  re- 
sults, and  as  he  is  an  engineer  of  experience  his 
rules  are  worth  considering. 

Rule  I  is 


Temp,  room  —  outside  temp. 


=  the  square  foot 


temp,  steam  pipes  —  temp,  room 
of  surface  of  radiator  to  counteract  a  square  foot  of 
glass,  which  give  very  nearly  one-half  square  foot  of 
radiator  to  i  square  foot  of  glass  with  steam  pipe  at 
212,  room  70,  and  outside  air  zero. 

Then  for  unventilated  buildings,  or  ones  with  only 
accidental  ventilation,  he  adds  from  one-fourth  to 
one-half  more  surface,  as  the  judgment  of  the  engi- 
neer suggests,  to  cover  the  contingencies  of  ordinary 
construction.  He  also  considers  that  a  square  yard 
of  wall — brick — cools  about  the  same  amount  of  air 
as  a  square  foot  of  glass. 

He  treats  the  question  of  the  air  admitted  for  ven- 
tilation differently.  Taking  the  same  room  again, 
its  cubic  contents  being  1.960  cubic  feet,  with  a 
change  every  15  minutes  he  would  have  7,840  cubic 


X  4  =  heating  surface  in  square  feet. 


feet  to  warm  per  hour  from  zero  to  70°  Fahr.,  and 
proceeds  as  follows: 

Cubic  feet  of  air 

admitted  per  hour  X  rise  of  temperature 

• — — -  =  heat  units. 

Then 

heat  units 
1,000 

Then  by  Rule  i  we  have  58.2  square  feet,  and  by 
the  rule  for  air  admitted  we  have  43  9,  or  a  total  of 
101.1  square  feet,  which  by  the  cubic  contents  rule 
is  in  tne  ratio  of  i  oi  heating  surface  to  19  cubic, 
which  is  very  liberal. 

The  rule  for  finding  the  diameter  of  mains  which 
you  allude  to  is  Baldwin's  rule  for  gravity  apparatus. 
It  first  appeared  on  page  129  of  "  Steam  Heating  for 
Buildings,"  and  his  words  are:  "The  increase  of 
the  diameter  of  a  steam  pipe  is  directly  as  the  square 
root  of  the  heating  surface,  and  according  to  the 
arbitrary  unit  adopted  (the  i-inch  pipe  to  100  feet  of 
surface)  the  diameter  of  the  pipe  in  inches  is  one- 
tenth  the  square  root  of  the  heating  surface  in  feet." 

This  rule  is  ample  for  very  low  pressures,  and  will 
cover  all  ranges  of  pressure.  It  is  based  on  the  idea, 
however,  that  as  pipes  enlarge  in  diameter  they  also 
increase  in  length;  and  whereas  the  rule  for  constant 
lengths,  but  increased  diameters,  would  be  in  the 
proportion  of  the  fifth  root  of  the  square  of  the  sur- 
face. The  rule  for  lengths  increasing  from  50  to  100 
feet  within  the  ranges  of  diameter  ordinarily  used, 
the  first  rule — viz. ,  the  ratio  of  the  square  root  of  the 
surface,  is  about  right.] 


RULES    FOR    FIGURING      STEAM-HEATING 
SURFACE. 

W.,  Honesdale,  Pa.,  writes: 

"  Since  using  Baldwin's  'Steam  Heating  for  Build- 
ings' for  computing  heating  surfaces,  I  have  had 
several  encounters  with  steam-heating  men,  and  in 
every  case  I  have  found  by  his  rules  less  steam-heat- 
ing surfaces  than  they  claim  to  use.  Will  you  kindly 
figure  the  following  for  me  by  his  rules  and  see  if  I 
am  correct? 

"  I  want  to  warm  a  well-built  brick  house  situated 
on  the  northeast  corner  of Street.  It  has  hard- 
finished  walls,  papered.  The  sitting-room  is  i6'x2o'x 
10',  has  160  square  feet  of  wall  exposed  to  west  wind, 
200  square  feet  of  wall  exposed  to  north  wind,  63 
square  feet  of  glass  surface;  desired  temperature  70 
degrees,  10  degrees  below  being  about  our  lowest 
outside. 

"I  figured  that  57  square  feet  of  direct  heating 
surface  was  necessary  and  would  answer.  Am  I 
right?  This  is  taking  it  for  granted  that  the  house 
is  properly  warmed  in  other  rooms  and  hall.  The 
room  mentioned  is  on  the  first  floor,  2  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sidewalk,  and  is  unusually  tight,  so  far 
as  joiner- work  is  concerned." 

[To  figure  for  a  room  i6'x2o'xio'  high,  hard-finished 
walls,  Baldwin's  rules  (pages  26  and  27,  eighth  edi- 
tion), we  have  16'  X  10'  =  160  n  west  wall, 
20'  X  10'  =  200  n  north  wall, 


360  n  total  for  both  out- 
side walls,  less  the  window  area,  which  you  give  at 
63  square  feet  =  297  square  feet  of  cold  walls. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


245 


He  considers  the  cooling  value  of  a  square  foot  of 
a  hard-plastered  wall  (one  withsut  furring  and  lath- 
ing) to  be  oue-fifth  the  value  of  a  square  foot  of  glass, 
which  places  the  total  value  of  the  wall  in  cooling 
powers  as  equal  to  59T4ff  square  feet  of  glass.  To 
this,  according  to  his  rule,  we  must  add  the  glass  and 
treat  all  as  glass  Thus  we  have  59T4ff  +  63  square 
feet  of  glass=i22T4ff  square  feet  of  glass,  or  the  equiv- 
alent thereof  if  it  were  all  glass. 

Then,  to  find  the  amount  of  average  pipe  surface 
that  will  warm  as  much  air  as  a  square  foot  of  glass 
will  cool,  he  says:  "Divide  the  difference  in  temper- 
ature between  that  at  which  the  room  is  to  be  kept 
and  the  coldest  outside  atmosphere  by  the  difference 
between  the  temperature  of  the  steam  pipes  and  the 
air  of  the  room,"  and  the  product  will  be  the  square 
foot  of  pipe  surface  that  will  offset  the  cooling  of  a 
square  foot  of  glass. 

According  to  this,  then,  we  have  room  70°  Fahr., 
outside  temperature  10°  Fahr.  (below)  =  (difference) 
80°  Fahr.  Again,  temperature  of  steam  pipe  212° 
Fahr.,  less  temperature  of  air  of  room  =  142°  Fahr. 
Then  T8^  =  0.563  as  the  plate  or  pipe  surface,  in 
square  feet,  that  will  offset  a  square  foot  of  glass. 

According  to  this,  then,  we  have  122  4  X  0.563  = 
68.91  square  feet  of  pipe  or  radiator  surface  to  offset 
the  cooling  done  by  the  walls  and  windows.  To  this 
must  be  added  the  amount  of  radiator  surface  neces- 
sary to  warm  the  air  admitted  to  the  room  in  an  hour. 
For  instance,  your  room  has  a  cubic  contents  of  3,200 
cubic  feet,  and  say  it  changes  twice  in  an  hour  and 
is  warmed  from  10  degrees  below  to  70  degrees  above. 

Then  we  have  3'200  X  2  X  80  _  IO)24Oheat  units;  in 

50 

which  the  (50)  is  the  approximate  number  of  cubic 
feet  of  air  that  a  heat  unit  will  warm  i°  Fahr.  This, 
say,  is  the  equivalent  of  10  pounds  weight  of  steam 
and  requires  about  30  square  feet  additional  of  radi- 
ator surface  to  condense  it.  Thus  we  have  68.9  +  30 
=  98.9  as  the  total  quantity  of  pipe  in  square  feet  for 
10  degrees  below  zero. 

If  your  room  is  a  tight  box,  or  nearly  so,  70  to  75 
square  feet  will  do,  but  should  air  be  admitted  acci- 
dentally or  otherwise  it  must  be  provided  for  on  the 
above  basis. 

Although  the  mercury  may  reach  10  degrees  below 
at  an  odd  time  in  your  neighborhood,  we  think  10 
degrees  above  as  amply  low  to  figure  on  as  a  basis  of 
calculation.  This  will  lessen  the  surface  by  one- 
fourth,  or  to  about  75  square  feet  for  your  room. 
With  98.9  square  feet  of  radiator  in  such  a  room  it  is 
i  square  foot  to  about  33  cubic,  and  with  a  radiator 
of  75  square  feet  it  is  about  as  i  to  43,  and,  as  the 
steam  man  usually  figures  it,  either  of  them  appears 
pretty  ample.] 


RELATIVE    CONDENSATION    IN     HEATING 
APPARATUS. 

"  CHIEF  ENGINEER,"  from  Maine,  writes  : 

"  I  have  14  separate  buildings  to  be  heated  by 
steam,  the  average  distance  of  each  from  boilers 
being  nearly  300  feet.  Steam  is  carried  to,  and  con- 
densation returned  from,  them  by  cast-iron  pipes 


inclosed  in  brick  trenches  or  ducts  laid  in  cement, 
although  all  are  not  so  protected.  Some  are  carried 
in  ex.  by.  C.  I.  soil  pipe,  with  calked  lead  joints. 
None  of  these  ducts  or  sleeves  are  below  frost  (from 
4  to  5  feet  here  some  winters).  Thus,  the  aggregate 
distance  is  over  4,000  feet  for  each  supply  and  return. 
The  "  Williams  system  "  is  in  use  here.  Aside  from 
this,  I  have  seven  buildings  warmed  by  small  L.  P. 
boilers  (gravity  s\  stem),  averaging  about  10  horse- 
power each,  warming  264,598  cubic  feet  with  3,654 
square  feet  of  radiation,  about  evenly  divided,  direct 
and  indirect.  The  buildings  are  all  exposed  on  all 
sides,  two  brick  and  five  wood  (one  a  greenhouse). 
What,  I  would  ask,  is  the  probable  average  weight 
of  water  per  hour  per  square  foot  of  heating  surface 
in  both  systems,  also  the  probable  evaporation  per 
pound  of  coal  in  each?  C.  A.  Williams  system, 
I-253.398  feet;  gravity,  264,598  feet;  heating  surface, 
Williams,  9,471  square  feet;  gravity,  3,654  square 
feet." 

[In  reply,  we  will  say,  the  pressure  being  the 
same,  there  will  be  no  difference  in  condensation 
between  the  Williams  system  and  any  other  system. 

The  condensation  per  square  foot  of  surface  for 
ordinary  direct  coils  and  radiators  will  be  equal  to 
fromi.s  to  2.25  heat  units  per  hour  per  degree  (Fahr.) 
of  difference  between  the  air  of  the  rooms  and  the 
surface  of  the  coils  or  radiators.  Average  vertical 
radiators  condense  an  average  of  2  heat  units,  so  that 
for  a  100  square-foot  radiator  at  2  pounds  steam  (218° 
Fahr.) in  a  room  at  70°  Fahr.,  you  will  have  100X2  X 
(218° — 70°)  =  29,600  heat  units  as  the  equivalent  work 
of  the  radiator,  which,  divided  by  the  latent  heat  of 
steam  at  2  pounds  (960),  gives  the  pounds  of  water 

29,500 
per    hour —T^ —  =  30.8    pounds  of  steam  or  water 

condensed. 

The  condensation  for  indirect  radiation  depends  on 
the  draft  of  the  flue.  The  better  the  draft,  the  more 
the  work;  though  the  ratio  of  condensation  is  not 
quite  equal  to  the  increased  quantity  of  air.  In  com- 
mon practice  (without  fans)  3  heat  units  per  degree 
of  difference  will  cover  the  case. 

The  condensation  in  mains  is  an  unknown  quan- 
tity, depending  on  the  covering,  etc.  It  is  not  safe 
to  put  it  at  less  than  one-fourth  the  condensation  in 
an  uncovered  pipe. 

The  evaporation  in  both  cases  will  probably  be 
found  to  be  between  8  and  10  pounds  water  per  pound 
of  fuel.  As  to  which  system  does  the  best,  we  are 
unwilling  to  hazard  an  opinion  on  such  insufficient 
data.  Weigh  the  water  of  condensation  and  com- 
pare it  with  the  fuel  burned  and  the  heating  surface, 
and  reasonably  approximate  answers  will  be  obtained 
to  your  questions.] 


STEAM-HEATING  ESTIMATE  WANTED. 
GEORGE  E.  ROBERTS,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  writes: 

"  Will  you  state  what  allowance  in  cubic  feet  the 
current  practice  will  estimate  can  be  heated  per 
horse-power;  steam  at  an  average  of  30  pounds 
pressure  ?  " 

[The  accepted  horse-power  of  the  present  day  is  30 
pounds  in  weight  of  water  evaporated  to  steam,  and 
of  course  the  same  steam  condensed  to  water  is  a 
horse-power.  The  pressure  is  not  an  important  ele- 


246 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


ment  when  heating  only  is  the  object;  it  is  simply 
the  weight  of  the  steam  used.  One  hundred  square 
feet  of  heating  surface  will  condense  just  about  30 
pounds  of  water  in  an  hour,  when  the  pressure  is 
about  30  pounds  per  square  inch,  so  that  the  value  of 
100  square  feet  of  surface  is  the  equivalent  of  one 
horse-power.  One  hundred  square  feet  of  surface 
will  warm  from  5,000  to  10,000  cubic  feet  of  average 
air  space.  If  the  rooms  or  chambers  are  very  large 
i  square  foot  to  100  will  do.  If  the  rooms  are  small 
an  average  of  i  to  50  is  generally  ample  in  the  coldest 
weather  in  this  latitude. 

The  above  are  approximations  to  the  truth,  and 
are  as  near  as  it  is  possible  to  come  without  a  careful 
scientific  review  of  the  whole  subject.] 


STEAM    CONSUMPTION    FOR    HEATING    IN 
NEW  YORK  IN  DIFFERENT  MONTHS.     . 
PRACTICAL  tests  on  a  large  scale  in  New  York  City 
have  shown  that  the  steam  required  for  heating  build- 
ings is  represented  by  the  following  percentage  dur- 
ing the  different  months  of  the  heating  season: 

Per  Cent. 

October 5 

November 5 

December 15 

January 25 

February 20 

March 20 

April 10 


STEAM-HEATING    SURFACE   FOR   DRYING- 
ROOMS. 

"  STEAM  .GAUGE,"  Kingston,  Ont,  writes: 
"  Will  you  please  state  what  radiating  surface  at  a 
steam  pressure  of  100  pounds  will  be  required  to  heat 
a  drying  tunnel  6x7  feet  in  cross-section  by  75  feet 
long  to  a  temperature  of  300  degrees  ? 

"  Also,  what  amount  of  radiating  surface  will  heat 
an  unplastered  brick  building  76'x4o'xi3'  to  a  tem- 
perature of  160  degrees  with  steam  at  70  pounds 
pressure?" 

[You  have  omitted  a  very  important  item  of  data 
in  asking  the  first  question.  You  make  no  mention 
of  the  amount  of  air  that  is  to  be  changed  in  any 
given  time.  With  the  tunnel  absolutely  closed  up 
and  well  protected  we  have  no  doubt  but  that  a  coil 
of  10  i-inch  pipes  run  the  whole  length  will  be  suffi- 
cient. This  surface,  however,  being  only  about  37 
degrees  .hotter,  at  100  pounds  pressure  of  steam, 
than  the  temperature  at  which  you  wish  to  keep  the 
air  of  the  tunnel,  will  not  more  than  make  up  the  heat 
that  is  carried  off  through  the  brickwork,  and  when 


steam  is  first  turned  on,  if  the  brickwork  is  fresh  and 
contains  much  moisture,  it  may  take  a  considerable 
time  before  it  will  bring  it  to  this  temperature.  This 
does  not  take  into  consideration  the  moisture  to  be 
driven  off  from  the  materials  to  be  dried.  The 
moisture  in  the  air  of  a  drying  kiln  plays  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  rise  of  temperature.  If  the  air 
can  be  kept  absolutely  dry  or  nearly  so,  it  can  be 
warmed  considerably  above  212°  Fahr.  When 
moisture  is  present,  however,  evaporation  first  goes 
on,  and  afterwards  the  moisture  held  in  the  air  and 
the  air  itself  may  readily  advance  to  a  temperature  of 
about  212  degrees  (the  temperature  of  the  vapor  of 
water  at  atmospheric  pressure).  But  to  warm  the 
vapor  beyond  this  point  it  requires  to  be  superheated 
and  kept  from  contact  with  walls,  or  elsewhere  from 
which  it  can  draw  additional  moisture.  If  this  is 
done  the  temperature  of  the  drying  kiln  or  tunnel 
may  be  advanced  by  a  further  application  of  heat, 
and  we  have  no  doubt  that  temperatures  of  300  may 
be  obtained,  if  moisture  and  the  passage  of  air  be  cut 
off.  High  temperatures  are  best  obtained  within 
metal-lined  chambers  backed  with  some  non-con- 
ducting surface.  Air  at  300  degrees  can  also  be  ob- 
tained by  forcing  it  between  steam  coils  at  high  tem- 
peratures, but  not  allowing  it  to  come  in  contact  with 
the  moisture  afterwards.  The  specific  heat  of  air  is 
low,  and  though  it  is  easily  warmed  on  that  account, 
the  same  reason  accounts  for  its  being  unable  to 
evaporate  moisture  to  any  considerable  extent  with- 
out materially  lessening  its  own  temperature.  To 
make  a  drying-room  effective,  therefore,  large  quan- 
tities of  dry  air  must  be  moved  through  it,  and  our 
experience  is,  that  when  a  temperature  of  300  is  re- 
quired  to  be  maintained,  and  drying  by  evaporation 
is  required,  the  only  way  is  to  force  hot  dry  air 
through  the  tunnel,  the  air  being  heated  outside.  If 
a  baking  oven  only  is  required  to  harden  varnishes, 
then  it  may  be  done  with  direct  steam  heat,  and  we 
are  of  the  opinion  that  fully  700  square  feet  of  sur- 
face will  then  be  required. 

In  reply  to  the  second  question,  you  give  us  no 
data  in  regard  to  the  window  surface  or  the  amount 
of  air  to  be  moved,  so  that  it  becomes  almost  guess- 
work to  reply  to  this  question.  According  to  Bald- 
win's rule  it  would  require  about  360  square  feet  of 
surface,  at  70  pounds  steam,  provided  there  were  no 
windows  in  the  building,  and  no  air  move,  or  no 
great  amount  of  moisture  to  evaporate,  and  that, 
with  ordinary  proportioned  windows,  it  would  require 
from  two  to  three  times  as  much  surface,  say  700  to 
1,000  square  feet.] 


COST   OF  STEAM   HEATING. 


ESTIMATING  COST  OF  STEAM. 

THE  ECONOMY  STEAM  HEAT  COMPANY,  of  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  writes: 

"Having  been  referred  to  you  by  Henry  Carey 
Baird  &  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  would  like  to  know  the 
following:  We  have  the  largest  steam-heating  plant 


in  St.  Paul.  During  the  last  few  years  we  have 
added  an  electric-light  and  power  plant.  Owing  to 
your  experience  in  figuring  on  heating,  I  would  like 
you  to  mention  the  best  practical  book  containing 
information  for  estimating  and  charging  for  heating 
buildings.  We  want  a  book,  not  with  formula,  stat- 
ing experience,  etc.,  but  a  book  which  has  derived, 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


247 


as  far  as  possible,  the  rules  and  charges  for  heat. 
Also,  if  there  is  any  practical  meter.  Any  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  New  York  Steam  Company,  or 
any  other  information  will  be  thankfully  received/' 

[We  do  not  know  of  any  book  that  gives  the  in- 
formation necessary  for  estimating  and  charging  the 
cost  of  supplying  heat  to  buildings.  The  New  York 
Steam  Company  meters  all  the  steam  which  it  sup- 
plies. The  meter  is  the  invention  of  Dr.  Charles  E. 
Emery,  the  first  engineer  and  superintendent  of  the 
company.  The  steam  flows  with  a  constant  differ- 
ence of  pressure  of  two  pounds  through  a  variable 
opening,  the  flow  of  steam  being  closely  proportional 
to  the  size  of  the  opening,  which  is  recorded  on  a 
strip  of  paper  moved  by  clockwork.  The  area 
between  the  base  and  record  lines  is  integrated  by  a 
planimeter  and  the  result  interpreted  into  "  kals," 
forms  the  basis  of  the  bill  for  supplying  steam.  The 
leal  is  a  convenient  commercial  term  coined  by  Dr. 
Emery  te  express  a  unit  of  caloric  or  heat,  and 
denotes  the  equivalent  of  one  pound  of  water  evap- 
orated into  steam. 

In  estimating  the  cost  of  supplying  steam  you 
must  commence  by  assuming  a  price  for  fuel,  say  $5 
per  ton  for  anthracite  coal,  which  gives  you  the  basis 
for  a  sliding  scale  of  cost,  depending  on  the  current 
price  of  coal. 

Either  30  pounds  of  water  evaporated  to  steam  or 
30  pounds  of  steam  condensed  to  water  per  hour  may 
be  taken  as  the  equivalent  of  one  horse-power,  the 
first  for  power  and  the  second  for  heating.  Ten 
pounds  of  water  evaporated  in  a  boiler  by  a  pound 
of  coal  is  considered  good  in  common  practice. 
Therefore  we  will  assume  in  your  case  that  you  are 
able  to  produce  a  horse-power  for  three  pounds  of 
coal  per  hour,  and  as  coal  at  $5  per  ton  costs  one- 
quarter  of  a  cent  per  pound,  the  cost  of  the  horse- 
power to  you,  without  wear  and  tear  of  plant,  engi- 
neei's  hire,  etc.,  is  three-quarters  of  a  cent  per  hour. 
Thus,  if  you  either  buy  or  sell  power  or  steam  at  the 
rate  of  one  horse-power  you  have,  for  18254  days  of 
cold  weather,  at  24  hours  per  day,  75  cents  X  24 
hours  X  182.5  days  =  $32.85,  as  the  cost  of  the  fuel 
necessary  to  prodnce  a  horse-power  for  a  winter  for 
heating;  or,  for  a  whole  year,  at  12  hours  per  day 
(Sundays  included),  for  power  in  a  good  engine.  To 
estimate  the  total  cost  of  any  particular  case  we 
may  figure  it  on,  say  100  horse-power  for  one  year, 
for  12  hours  a  day,  thus  : 

Fuel,  too  horse-power  at  $32  85  equals $3,285 

Depreciation  10  per  cent,  on  cost  of  plant  (f  5  ooo),      500 

Engineer's  wages . . 1,000 

Fireman's  wages 600 

Sundries...  100 


Total $5,485 

Dividing  this  by  100  horse-power  you  have  $54.85 
per  year  as  the  cost  of  producing  one  horse-power  if 
you  manage  everything  carefully. 

In  small  plants  the  cost  may  reach  $60  to  $65  per 
horse-power,  but  in  well-regulated  plants,  supplying 
over  100  horse-power,  it  should  be  kept  to  about  $50, 
with  coal  at  $5  per  ton. 

Radiators  condense  from  one-fourth  to  one-half 
pound  of  steam  per  hour  per  square  foot  of  surface 
according  to  exposure  and  the  pressure  of  the  steam. 


Under  the  usual  conditions  three-tenths  pound  is 
probably  a  fair  average,  in  which  case  a  radiator  of 
100  square  feet  uses  steam  at  the  rate  of  one  horse- 
power, and  at  $50  per  horse-power  for  a  season  of 
182  y2  days  at  24  hours  per  day,  the  cost  of  supplying 
i  square  foot  of  radiating  surface  for  that  time  would 
be  50  cents.  Profit  must  be  added  to  the  above  when 
you  are  dealing  with  a  consumer. 

As  to  the  cost  of  supplying  steam  in  New  York, 
F.  H.  Prentiss,  Superintendent  of  the  New  York 
Steam  Company,  says: 

Before  our  meter  was  developed  our  rates  were 
from  $2.50  to  $5  per  1,000  cubic  feet  (of  space)  per  sea- 
son. Hence  on  basis  of  i  foot  heating  surface  per 
100  cubic  feet,  the  price  would  be  25  to  50  cents  per 
square  foot. 

The  Boston  Heating  Company  charges  about  dou- 
ble our  price  for  steam,  and  I  think  the  Denver  Com- 
pany charges  $i  per  square  foot  per  season. 

Mr.  Prentiss  inclosed  a  set  of  regulations  for  the 
supply  of  steam  by  his  company,  from  which  it  ap- 
pears that  the  present  charge  by  meter  varies  from 
80  cents  per  1,000  kals,  for  a  consumption  of  12, coo 
kals  per  month,  down  to  45  cents  for  1,000  kals  for  a 
consumption  of  400,000  kals  per  month,  so  that  the 
charges  of  the  steam  company  will  range  from  about 
1.35  cents  to  2  4  cents  per  horse-power  per  hour. 
There  is  also  a  minimum  charge,  varying  from  $10 
a  month  on  a  i-inch  supply  up  to  $45  a  month  on  a  6- 
inch  supply.  The  cost  of  introducing  the  steam  is 
paid  by  the  consumer;  service  pipes  from  street  mains 
to  buildings  cost  about  $75  and  remain  the  property 
of  the  company;  the  connections  to  the  meter,  etc., 
cost  about  $25  and  belong  to  the  consumer;  the  me- 
ter combination  costs  from  $30  for  i-inch  to  $if>o  for 
4-inch,  ownership  not  stated;  the  cost  of  fitting  up 
the  house  trap,  to  remain  the  property  of  the  com- 
pany, varies  from  $10  to  $30.  The  usual  pressure  1375 
pounds,  which  has  been  on  continuously  since  April, 
1882. 

E.  E.  Magovern,  formerly  one  of  the  engineers  of 
the  New  York  Steam  Company,  also  writes  as  follows: 

The  New  York  Steam  Company  began  supplying 
steam  about  August,  1882,  and  continued  supplying 
on  other  than  a  meter  basis  until  1884.  The  rates 
were  based  on  the  number  of  cubic  feet  of  space 
heated,  and  varied  from  $2.50  minimum  to  $4.50  per 
1,000  cubic  feet  of  space  heated  per  season.  Experi- 
ment had  shown  that  the  condensation  per  square 
foot  of  surface  in  radiators,  under  varying  conditions 
of  exposure  and  draft,  varied  from  0.25  to  0.45  kals 
per  hour.  Hence,  following  a  general  ratio  of  heating 
surface  to  space  heated  of  i  to  100,  gave  the  kals 
condensed  per  1,000  cubic  feet  of  space  per  hour,  as 
2.5  to  4. 5.  The  contract  was  based  upon  a  heating 
season  of  2,000  hours  giving  5,000  to  9,000  kals  per 
1,000  cubic  feet  of  space  heated.  With  coal  at  $5  per 
ton,  allowing  for  profit,  attendance,  interest,  depre- 
ciation, etc.,  it  was  found  that  for  an  ordinary  sized 
plant  the  cost  of  furnishing  steam  was  not  far  from 
50  cents  per  1,000  kals,  hence  the  rates  per  season  for 
1,000  cubic  feet  of  space  varied  from  $2.50  to  $4.50  as 
stated. 

When  the  meters  were  introduced  it  was  found  that 
the  rates,  as  shown  by  meter,  varied  from  $1.44  to 
$4.56  per  1,000  cubic  feet  of  space  heated  per  season. 

Mr.  Magovern  accompanies  his  reply  by  a  table, 
given  on  page  248,  containing  the  cost  of  heating 


248 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


several    buildings,  under  various  conditions,  taken 
from  actual  measurement  of  the  steam  used. 


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The  information  given  above  from  Messrs.  Prentiss 
and  Magovern  was  furnished  in  March,  1889,  about 
which  time  A.  V.  Abbott,  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Boston  Heating  Company,  wrote  concerning  a  similar 
matter: 

We  charge  $i  per  thousand  pounds  of  steam  with- 
out any  regard  to  the  pressure  at  which  the  steam  is 


furnished,  finding  that  that  price  averages  very  well 
for  our  service.  We  also  find  that  here  in  Boston  it 
is  customary  to  charge  60  cents  per  square  foot  of 
radiating  surface  for  the  heating  season,  which  is 
considered  to  be  200  days  of  10  hours  each,  and  that 
the  prices  for  power,  that  is  to  say,  the  prices  for  steam 
supplied  to  engines  by  small  plants  throughout  the 
city,  vary  from  $100  to  $150  per  year  of  300  days  of 
10  hours  each.  Our  own  charge  for  steam  for  engines 
is  $90  for  the  same  time. 

Station  B,  the  first  steam  station  erected  by  the 
New  York  Steam  Company,  and  designed  to  hold 
boilers  aggregating  16,000  horse- power,  was  described 
in  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  on  January  25  and 
February  i,  1883,  and  Station  J,  of  the  same  com- 
pany, was  described  on  April  7  and -14,  1888.  The 
plant  of  the  Boston  Heating  Company  was  described 
in  issues  from  April  28  to  May  26  inclusive,  1888. 


THE  CHARGE  FOR    HEATING    SERVICE. 
F.  K.  S.,  Boston,  writes: 

"I  am  supplying  heat  to  an  adjacent  store  where 
they  have  about  350  square  feet  of  direct  steam-heat- 
ing surface  (pressure  about  five  pounds),  and  want  to 
know  what  to  charge  for  it.  The  steam  is  turned  on 
for  about  eight  hours  each  day. " 

[We  do  not  know  whether  or  not  your  radiating 
surface  is  properly  proportioned,  but  assuming  that 
it  is,  you  will  condense  about  a  third  of  a  pound  of 
water  per  square  foot  of  surface  per  hour,  or  about 
1 16  pounds  per  350  feet,  and  1 16  X  8='  928  pounds  in 
a  day  of  eight  hours.  If  your  boilers  are  working 
properly  you  will  probably  evaporate,  the  condensed 
steam  being  returned  to  the  boiler,  10  pounds  of  wa- 
ter per  pound  of  coal,  and  hence  928  pounds  would 
require  the  consumption  of  92.8  pounds  of  coal  per 
day.  You  know  what  your  coal  costs,  and  from  this 
you  can  get  the  cost  of  fuel  for  heating.  You  can 
rightly  add  to  this  an  additional  amount  to  pay  for  a 
part  of  your  fireman's  wages.] 


COAL   REQUIRED. 


STEAM  REQUIRED  FOR  HEATING   A  RAIL- 
WAY  TRAIN. 

JAMES  EMERSON,  Williamsport,  Mass.,  writes: 

"In  your  journal  of  2gth  of  January,  1887,  is  an  ar- 
ticle relative  to  the  heating  of  cars  by  steam ,  in 
which  an  estimate  of  the  maximum  quantity  of  steam 
for  the  purpose  that  possibly  could  be  required  is  the 
first  definite  estimate  that  has  met  my  notice .  The 
estimate,  however,  is  far  too  high.  For  five  years 
my  attention  has  been  devoted  to  the  subject  of  car- 
heating,  and  experiments  have  been  made  at  differ- 
ent times  in  order  to  determine  the  best  quantity  of 
heating  surface  per  car.  All  of  the  cars  piped  on  the 
Connecticut  River  road  are  7o-seat  cars,  55  foot  sills, 
18  windows  each  side.  One-inch,  i^,  i  V2,  and  2-inch 
pipe  has  been  tried,  and  I  prefer  i^-inch,  soar- 
ranged  as  to  get  125  square  feet  of  heating  surface 
per  car,  which  is  found  to  be  abundant;  the  only  com- 
plaint with  passengers  being  that  the  cars  are  kept 


too  hot.  There  are  20  or  more  trains  on  this  road 
now  each  way  per  day  warmed  with  steam,  beginning 
with  one  and  showing  a  steady  increase,  and  as 
trains  are  added  they  are  piped  and  heated  by  steam, 
from  the  engine,  though  in  case  of  accident  to  the 
engine  there  is  a  small  auxiliary  boiler  under  each 
car;  or  rather,  that  is  my  system.  This  little  boiler 
has  a  12-inch  firebox,  in  which  a  fire  about  6  inches 
deep  can  be  kept,  and  that  makes  the  car  so  warm 
that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  put  pipes  on  top 
of  the  car  in  which  the  steam  could  be  condensed  and 
returned  to  the  boiler,  to  keep  up  the  water  supply  in 
boiler.  In  the  first  trial  the  boiler,  holding  35  gallons 
of  water,  was  run  for  10  days  without  renewal. 
About  four  ordinary  coal-hods  full  of  coal  were  used 
in  running  from  Springfield  to  St.  Albans,  a  distance 
of  250  miles,  and  return,  or  500  miles  the  trip.  There 
is  less  trouble  in  heating  the  cars  by  steam  from  the 
engine  or  from  the  auxiliary  boiler  than  by  stoves. 
It  takes  just  about  the  same  steam  to  heat  as  to  oper- 
ate the  brakes,  certainly  less  than  a  horse-power  per 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


349 


car,  and  actually  less  than  where  stoves  are  used,  for 
it  saves  eight  seats  in  a  car,  so  that  seven  cars  heated 
by  steam  from  the  locomotive  are  equal  in  seat- 
ing capacity  to  eight  heated  by  stoves.  They  are 
far  safer,  more  comfortable,  and  of  course  far  bet- 
ter ventilated,  for  the  ventilators  at  the  top  are  never 
closed.  I  don't  believe  that  17  cars  of  ordinary 
length  are  ever  taken  in  one  train,  unless  in  some 
special  case,  for  that  number  could  be  better  run  di- 
vided in  two,  one  a  half  or  a  whole  hour  later  than 
the  other,  and  would  accommodate  the  traveling 
public  better;  and,  still  further,  no  engine  of  17x24- 
inch  cylinder  could  draw  17  cars  and  make  express 
time,  unless  thev  have  engines  on  the  N.  Y.  Central 
unknown  upon  the  Eastern  roads. " 

[The  estimate  of  the  steam  required  for  warming  a 
rain,  to  which  our  correspondent  alludes  above,  was 
made  with  the  view  of  being  greater  than  actual 
practice  could  demonstrate,  as  it  was  our  object  to 
show  how  small  a  percentage  of  the  steam  made  by  a 
locomotive  was  required  for  the  purpose  of  warming 
the  train.  We  also  agree  with  our  correspondent 
that  no,  or  at  least  very  few,  passenger  trains  ever 
have  17  coaches,  for  such  a  train  would  of  necessity 
be  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  but  here  we  again 
took  the  extreme  condition  mentioned  by  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  N.  Y.  Central  Railway,  so  that  our  esti- 
mate would  not  be  open  to  the  criticism  of  not  being 
ample  or  of  being  unfair  to  the  railroad  companies.] 


AMOUNT  OF  COAL  REQUIRED  TO  HEAT 
WATER  FROM  40°  TO  200°. 

ENGINEER,  Togus,  Me.,  writes: 

"  Will  you  kindly  inform  me  how  many  pounds  of 
coal  would  be  required  to '  heat  water  from  40°  up  to 
190°  or  200°?  Boilers  are  evaporating  eight  pounds 
of  water  to  one  pound  of  coal,  and  the  desire  is  to 
apply  steam,  at  40  pounds  pressure,  to  heating  water, 
passing  it  through  a  brass  coil  in  a  hot-water  boiler, 
the  water  of  condensation  being  saved.  The  amount 
to  be  heated  to  190°  or  200°  is  about  300  gallons  per 
hour  (average),  or  7,200  gallons  in  24  hours,  and  the 
question  is,  How  much  will  it  cost  per  gallon  to  heat 
it?" 

[To  warm  one  pound  of  water  from  40°  to  200° 
Fahr.  will  require  160  heat-units,  and,  as  300  gal- 
lons of  water  at  40°  Fahr.  weigh  very  nearly  2,500 
pounds,  it  is  evident  that  it  will  require  400.000  heat- 
units  per  hour  to  be  taken  in  form  of  steam  from  the 
boilers.  This  is  the  equivalent  of  440  pounds  weight 
of  steam  per  hour  at  40  pounds  pressure  condensed  to 
water  at  the  same  temperature,  and  if  cooled  to  the 
atmospheric  pressure  and  temperature  will  require 
about  no  pounds  weight.  Then,  if  you  get  eight 
pounds  weight  of  steam  per  pound  of  coal,  it  is  plain 
it  will  cost  you  the  value  of  55  pounds  per  hour  to 
warm  the  water  (300  gallons);  or  in  other  words,  5J^ 
gallons  of  water  can  be  warmed  by  one  pound  of  coal 
in  the  case  you  cite.] 


METHODS   OF   HEATING. 


HEATING  BY  THE  GRAVITY  SYSTEM. 
LEWIS,  Saginaw,  Mich.,  writes: 

"  Some  time  ago  I  noticed  an  inquiry  in  a  scientific 
paper  as  to  heating  a  building  by  the  gravity  system, 
the  answer  being  that  it  could  not  be  done  success- 
fully if  40  to  50  pounds  pressure  was  carried.  Is  this 
correct?  As  the  water  of  condensation  returns  by 
gravity  to  the  boiler,  why  would  it  not  return  as  well 
with  50  pounds  pressure  in  the  system  as  with  one  or 
five  pounds?  " 

[There  is  no  valid  reason  why  a  gravity  system 
should  not  work  successfully  and  return  its  water  to 
the  boiler,  provided  all  pipes  and  connections  are 
properly  proportioned  and  care  is  taken  that  no  air 
or  water  trapping  exists  in  the  system.  Water, 
whether  hot  or  cold,  seeks  its  level  under  all  natural 
conditions  of  atmosphere.  The  same  statement 
holds  good  with  water  under  pressure  of  air  or  steam, 
provided  the  pressure  is  the  same  in  the  boiler  and 
return  pipes,  which  condition  practically  exists, 
where  the  pipes  and  connections  are  sufficiently 
large  to  furnish  steam  as  rapidly  as  condensation 
takes  place,  thus  keeping  up  an  equal  pressure 
above  the  water  in  return  pipes.  Should  the  steam- 
supply  pipes  be  insufficient  in  size,  then  in  that  pro- 
portion, and  in  addition  to  the  friction  generated, 
the  return  water  will  rise  in  the  return  pipes.  Coils, 
radiators,  heating  or  return  pipes  are  after  all  but  a 
part  of  the  steam  boiler,  no  matter  how  far  removed, 
and  in  a  great  measure  water  in  return  pipes  is  in- 


fluenced the  same  as  the  water  in  a  gauge  glass  may 
be.  If  it  departs  from  the  natural  laws  of  level  a 
sufficient  mechanical  reason  will  be  found  for  it.] 


HIGH  AND  LOW-PRESSURE  HEATING. 
J.  E.  L.,  Athol,  Mass.,  writes: 

"  One  of  the  questions  most  commonly  asked  by 
young  apprentices  to  the  steam-heating  business  is, 
What  is  the  difference  between  high  and  low-press- 
ure heating  ?  Will  you  kindly  explain  through  your 
valuable  journal,  and  oblige  many  inquiring  minds?" 

[There  is  no  definite  point  at  which  low-pressure 
Cheating  ends  or  high-pressure  begins.  If  we  assume 
that  there  is  sufficient  steam  pressure  for  power  ser- 
vice and  apply  its  full  head  in  the  heating  system  this 
would  properly  be  called  high-pressure  heating. 
Now,  if  a  steam  "  reducing  valve  "  is  introduced  be- 
tween this  high  steam  pressure  and  the  heating  sys- 
tem, and  the  heating  pressure  is  reduced  to,  say  five 
or  10  pounds,  then  we  have  what  is  known  as  low- 
pressure  heating,  as  applied  to  power  plants.  In 
domestic  heating  "  low  pressure  "  is  the  form  com- 
monly used;  but,  unlike  the  assumed  case  cited, 
there  is  no  high-pressure  combination.  Such  appar- 
atus seldom  exceeds  10  pounds  pressure,  and  if 
properly  proportioned  and  constructed  may  operate 
well  at  much  less.  Many  satisfactory  jobs  are  run- 
ning at  from  one  to  three  pounds.  Good  results  are 


850 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


attained  at  even  less  than  this  figure,  and  we  have 
known  perfect  heating  where  a  partial  vacuum  ex- 
isted in  the  heaters;  but  in  such  cases  the  radiating 
surfaces  and  boilers  were  sufficiently  large,  and  all 
joints  were  perfectly  tight.  It  is  possible  that  your 
discussion  has  taken  you  into  the  field  of  exhaust 
heating.  While  this  does  not  properly  belong  to 
the  classes  of  high  or  low-pressure  heating  it  has 
within  itself  "  high,"  "  low,"  and  "  open  "  heating.] 


DIRECT  OR  INDIRECT  RADIATION   FOR 
SCHOOLHOUSES. 

A  READER,  MILWAUKEE,  Wis.,  writes: 

"  We  are  building  a  new  schoolhouse  which  will 
be  heated  by  steam,  containing  four  classrooms  each 
on  first  and  second  floors,  and  amusement  hall  on 
third.  The  architect  of  this  building  has  specified 
direct  radiation  for  the  entire  building;  he  claims 
that  as  long  as  the  foul-air  outlet  ventilating  shaft  is 
of  sufficient  size  there  will  be  pure  air  in  the  class- 
rooms (there  are  no  fresh-air  inlets);  he  claims  that 
we  get  all  the  fresh  air  desired  through  the  crevices 
of  windows  and  doors.  I  have  visited  several  of  the 
public  school  buildings  and  find  that  they  contain  at 
least  one-half  indirect  radiation '  for  ventilation ; 
please  state  your  opinion  on  the  direct  system." 

[A  direct  system  of  radiation  without  systematic 
ventilation  is  not  suitable  for  a  school  building.  It 
requires  much  care  so  to  design  the  heating  arrange- 
ments of  a  schoolhouse  in  a  cold  country  as  to  prop- 
erly warm  it  and  ventilate  it  at  the  same  time. 

When  a  schoolroom  is  warmed  altogether  by  indi- 
rect radiation  it  is  seldom  properly  warmed — though 
it  may  be  well  ventilated.  On  the  other  hand,  when 
it  is  warmed  altogether  by  direct  radiation,  it  is  very 
rarely  sufficiently  ventilated. 

It  is  necessary  to  admit  into  a  schoolroom  about 
2,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per  child  per  hour  to  have 
good  ventilation,  so  that  in  a  school  of  60  scholars 
120,000  cubic  feet  should  enter  each  hour. 

This  amount  cannot  enter  by  accident,  through 
cracks  around  doors  or  windows,  and  no  increase  in 
size  or  number  of  exhaust  shafts  will  draw  it  in, 
however  that  amount  of  air  could  be  sucked  in  from 
outside.  If  it  did  it  would  be  impossible  to  live  in 
the  room,  as  120,000  cubic  feet  of  air  at  zero,  or  even 
20  above,  cannot  be  drawn  into  a  room  in  an  hour 
without  making  it  too  cold  to  remain  in,  much  less 
sit  and  study  in. 

When  schoolrooms  are  warmed  altogether  by  indi- 
rect radiation  and  supplying  sufficient  air  to  pro- 
duce proper  ventilation,  very  fair  results  are  obtained 
in  the  way  of  heating  when  the  temperature  is  not 
excessively  cold  outside. 

In  the  climate  of  our  Northern  and  Eastern  States, 
however,  it  is  necessary  to  supplement  the  indirect 
radiation  by  direct  radiation  under  the  windows  and 
at  the  outside  walls  of  the  room,  otherwise  the  air 
chilled  by  the  cold  outer  walls  and  windows  will  fall 
to  the  floor  and  flow  towards  the  center  of  the  rooms 
or  towards  the  foul-air  outlets,  causing  cold  drafts  on 
the  children  who  are  in  its  course. 

When  air  is  admitted  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
produce  abundant  ventilation,  its  temperature  as  it 


enters  the  room  cannot  be  much  above  the  living 
temperature  of  the  room,  or  the  room  will  become 
insufferably  warm.  The  low  temperature,  there- 
tore,  at  which  it  must  enter  makes  a  little  direct 
radiation  necessary  to  warm  the  colder  parts  of  the 
room.] 


DIRECT-INDIRECT  VERSUS    INDIRECT 
HEATING  FOR  LARGE  BUILDINGS. 

EARLHAM,  Earlham  College,  Richmond,  Ind., 
writes: 

"Will  you  please  be  kind  enough  to  inform  me  on 
the  following  subject:  Is  not  the  'direct-indirect'  sys- 
tem of  heating  much  better  for  large  college  and  pub- 
lic buildings  than  the  'indirect, 'and  will  it  not  obtain 
as  good,  if  not  better,  results  in  the  way  of  ventila- 
tion? I  mean  the  'direct-indirect'  system  as  given  by 
t Baldwin  on  page  30  of  his  valuable  book  'Steam 
Heating.' 

My  reason  for  asking  is  that  the  above  college  is 
now  erecting  two  new  college  buildings,  and  the 
architect  recommends  the  indirect  system,  with  radi- 
ator coils  in  the  cellar.  The  buildings  will  be  entirely 
exposed,  and  often  the  thermometer  is  as  low  as  26 
degrees  below  zero.  One  building  is  56'4"X35'6" 
and  two  stories  high;  the  other  is  in  its  extreme  di- 
mensions I74'4"xi56  4"  and  three  stones  high.  If  you 
would  like  to  see  the  plans  I  can  send  them  to  you  in 
a  week  or  so.  Should  not  the  warm-air  registers  in 
case  of  the  'indirect'  system  and  the  radiators  in  case 
of  the  'direct-indirect'  system  be  always  placed  im- 
mediately under  the  windows  with  the  vent  registers 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room  at  the  floor  ? 

"P.  S.— Our  old  plant  is  'direct'  and  we  are  going 
to  do  all  of  the  neating  from  the  one  boiler-house  and 
the  same  set  of  boilers." 

[The  system  of  warming  and  ventilating  known  as 
the  "direct-indirect"  system,  in  which  the  radiators 
are  under  the  windows  with  the  fresh  air  taken  to 
them  through  air  passages  under  the  sills  leading  to 
box  bases,  should  never  be  depended  upon  for  venti- 
lating schoolrooms.  Baldwin  describes  this  system 
in  his  book  as  one  of  the  usual  methods  of  warming 
with  which  ventilation  or  the  admission  of  air  is  com- 
bined; but  he  does  not  place  it  ahead  of  "indirect" 
heating  as  a  means  of  ventilation,  nor  should  it  be  so 
considered,  all  other  things  being  equal,  for  one  mo- 
ment. 

With  "direct-indirect"  radiation  enough  air  may 
pass  through  the  inlets  to  supply  air  for  two  or  three 
persons  in  a  room,  and  therefore  it  may  do  for  office 
rooms  or  residences,  provided  it  is  properly  done; 
but  for  schools  or  crowded  academic  rooms  or  audi- 
toriums it  is  wholly  inadequate. 

Take,  for  instance,  an  inlet  4x12  (an  average  size 
for  such  work)  or  the  third  of  a  square  foot,  and  as- 
sume it  is  passing  air  at  5  feet  per  second — an  un- 
usually high  velocity  for  such  work — 6,000  cubic  feet 
of  air  per  hour  is  all  that  can  possibly  pass  through  it; 
and  even  if  you  have  three  such  inlets  to  six  rooms, 
18,000  cubic  feet,  or  sufficient  for  10  or  12  persons,  is 
all  that  can  pass.  But  in  ordinary  practice  a  velocity 
of  5  feet  per  second  is  not  obtained,  and  the  writer 
has  known  several  of  such  apparatus  that  have 
worked  the  wrong  way — i.e.,  passed  the  warm  air 
out-of-doors  instead  of  drawing  cold  fresh  air  in. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


351 


Again,  such  apparatus  are  supplied  with  dampers 
to  keep  the  coils  from  freezing,  etc. ,  and  to  prevent 
the  passage  of  cold  air  when  the  coil  or  radiator  is 
not  in  use.  The  habit  is  to  neglect  this  damper,  and 
in  nine  cases  out  of  10  it  remains  permanently 
closed. 

Baldwin  evidently  considers  it  a  good  plan  to  have 
some  direct  radiation,  in  addition  to  the  indirect,  in 
all  schoolrooms,  the  former  to  be  used  in  very  cold 
weather.  He  says  this  direct  heating  surface  should 
be  on  the  cold  walls  of  a  building  or  under  the  win- 
dows, so  as  to  counteract  the  loss  of  heat  from  the 
bodies  of  the  scholars,  which  radiates  to  the  cold 
walls  and  glass,  and  also  to  prevent  the  fall  of  very 
cold  currents  of  air  from  the  glass  to  the  floor,  along 
which  it  usually  flows  to  the  outlets,  etc.,  keeping 
the  children's  feet  in  a  lower  stratum  of  air  a  foot  or 
so  high,  and  10  or  15  degrees  colder  than  the  air  at 
the  breathing  or  head  line. 

Schoolrooms  for  small  children  should  have  an 
ample  system  of  indirect  radiation  that  will  admit 
from  500  to  i.ooo  cubic  feet  of  air  per  hour  per  capita, 
and  it  should  be  so  arranged  that  the  regulation  of 
the  temperature  will  not  lessen  the  air  supply.  There 
are  several  good  methods  of  accomplishing  this  known 
to  heating  engineers.  The  air  should  enter  the  room 
averaging  in  temperature  from  80  degrees  to  100  de- 
grees, according  to  the  outside  temperature.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  there  should  be  the  direct  coils  before 
mentioned. 


For  healthy  youths  or  adults,  as  in  your  case,  the 
air  supply  should  not  be  less  than  1,500  cubic  feet  per 
capita,  and  if  they  are  not  confined  to  one  position 
too  long  the  addition  of  the  direct  coils  is  not  so  im- 
portant. 

The  place  for  air  to  leave  a  room  depends  largely 
on  the  system  of  heating  and  ventilation  used.  When 
air  enters  through  one  or  more  large  registers  they 
may  be  near  the  floor  or  ceiling,  according  to  circum- 
stances, and  if  large  quantities  of  air  are  admitted 
the  position  is  not  so  very  important. 

When  they  are  near  the  ceiling  the  flow  of  air  from 
them  should  be  directed  to  the  coldest  side  of  the 
room.  When  they  are  near  the  floor  it  is  perhaps 
best  to  have  them  at  the  coldest  side  of  the  room, 
and  they  should  have  large  area,  so  the  current  of  air 
will  be  slow  as  it  passes  them.  The  air  soon  finds 
the  ceiling  and  afterwards  follows  the  same  motions 
as  it  would  were  it  admitted  at  a  higher  level. 

The  outlets  for  the  systems  j ust  mentioned  should  be 
at  the  floor  on  the  inner  sides  of  the  rooms,  and  the 
vent  flues  are  better  in  partition  or  at  least  warm  walls. 

In  the  designing  of  a  building  if  it  is  inconvenient 
or  impossible  to  get  the  heat  flues  near  the  outer  sides 
of  the  rooms,  they  may  be  put  in  the  inner  walls.  If 
the  outer  walls  are  hard  finish,  unfurred,  and  with 
much  glass  surface,  then  auxiliary  coils  are  a  great 
advantage  for  cold  weather,  as  the  two  problems 
must  always  go  together  in  cold  climates — i.  e., 
proper  warming  as  well  as  proper  ventilation.] 


ONE-PIPE   SYSTEMS. 


WHY  DO  STEAM. HEATING  CONCERNS  CON- 
•    .        DEMN  THE  ONE-PIPE  SYSTEM  OF 
STEAM  HEATING? 

INQUIRER,  Worcester,  Mass.,  writes: 

"  Why  is  it  that  so  many  steam-heating  concerns 
condemn  the  one-pipe  system  of  house  heating  in 
every  case,  and  will  not  acknowledge  that  it  ever 
does,  or  can  work  satisfactorily,  when  it  is  well 
known  that  it  works  all  right  in  many  cases  ? 

"  Of  course  it  is  plain  to  everyone  that  two  pipes 
are  indispensable  in  any  large  building,  when  heated 
by  a  high-pressure  steam-heating  boiler. 

"  But  there  are  many  small  or  medium-size  dwell- 
ings with  about  five  to  15  radiators,  heated  with 
some  of  the  various  low-pressure  apparatus,  which 
have  but  one  pipe,  without  even  drip  pipe  at  foot  of 
risers,  and  work  all  right,  without  any  noise  or  any 
trouble  whatever. 

"  The  writer  of  this  is  familiar  with  a  number  of 
such  cases,  and  cannot  see  why  it  should  be  so 
utterly  condemned,  when  it  is  simpler,  and  saves 
some  expense,  without  any  apparent  disadvantage." 

[We  are  not  aware  that  the  one-pipe  system  of  con- 
veying steam  from  boilers  to  radiators  is  unquali- 
fiedly condemned.  With  certain  radiators,  and  in 
the  hands  of  careful  fitters,  very  good  results  are  ob. 
tained.  With  it  in  buildings  that  cover  a  good  deal 
of  ground  it  is  often  at  a  disadvantage,  however, 


when  contrasted  with  the  two-pipe  system.  For  in- 
stance, every  coil  or  radiator  will  work  with  an  inlet 
pipe  for  steam  and  an  outlet  pipe  for  water,  and  but 
very  few  coils  will  work  with  a  single  pipe  for  both 
purposes.  Nearly  all  the  modern  radiators  will 
work  under  one  pipe  if  it  is  of  large  diameter;  still 
there  are  some  that  will  not,  and  these  must  have  a 
return  pipe. 

One  decided  disadvantage  the  one-pipe  and  one- 
valve  apparatus  has  is  its  great  tendency  to  make 
noise  when  steam  is  let  on  a  radiator,  and  its  slow- 
ness to  expel  water  when  the  radiator  is  once  full. 
Let  a  radiator  with  a  single  pipe  be  shut  off  care- 
lessly— that  is,  not  tightly  closed — or  let  there  be  a 
leaky  valve  to  it  so  the  radiator  will  condense  itself 
full  of  water,  then  upon  opening  the  valve  there  will 
be  from  10  to  30  minutes  of  the  most  frightful  racket 
experienced — technically  known  as  water  hammer — 
before  the  statu  quo  is  established,  and  the  affairs 
of  that  household  go  in  anything  like  harmony  again, 

The  system  is  however  between  5  and  10  per 
cent,  cheaper  than  the  double-pipe  system,  and 
where  it  can  be  used  we  see  no  very  great  objection 
to  it,  provided  the  persons  who  are  to  use  it  are  not 
led  to  believe  it  is  the  best.] 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


ONE-PIPE  SYSTEM  FOR  HEATING  TWO 

ROOMS  BY  STEAM. 
J.  S.  N.,  Philadelphia,  writes: 

"  While  conceding  fully  the  unquestioned  supe- 
riority of  the  two-pipe,  low-pressure  heating  system, 
yet  for  important  reasons  I  am  disposed  to  adopt  the 
one-pipe  simple  plan  as  shown  on  sketch  for  heating 
two  second-story  rooms  of  a  country  dwelling-house, 
where  the  boiler  pressure  is  ample  at  two  pounds, 
unless  you  condemn  it  as  objectionable.  Would  I  be 
troubled  with  air-binding  or  hammering  in  this  ar- 
rangement, and  could  I  depend  on  the  air  being  re- 


*     8'    -. 

^ 

r  Q'  -y 

? 

^ 

-L. 

-  v  : 

^rf/?  ^wr/  /.v  SO/LER 

\  *•  •    ^  ^*  r> 

^s^f^nt^f!^/ffyi3^^nlifffffvf^^^^^^^^^^^Sf!>f>i^ 

moved  by  a  proper  automatic  air  valve,  and  the  water 
of  condensation  returning  surely  and  easily  to  water 
level  ?  " 

[With  the  pipes  as  you  show  them  there  is  nothing 
to  prevent  your  getting  good  results  in  warming,  and 
even  with  the  connections,  from  the  tee  at  the  head 
of  the  rising  line,  reduced  to  i^"  inches  each  in 
diameter,  the  result  will  be  satisfactory ;  provided 
you  use  the  very  best  soft  disk  valves  you  can  obtain 
and  reliable  air  valves,  with  connecting  pipe  to  sink 
or  other  suitable  place  of  waste. 

If  the  owner  or  user  should  happen  to  imperfectly 
close  a  valve,  so  a  little  steam  will  pass  into  the 
heater  and  condense  there  without  being  able  to  flow 
back,  and  to  virtually  fill  or  partly  fill  the  base  or 
pipes  of  the  heater  with  water,  instruct  him  to  open 
the  steam  valve  wide,  and  to  wait  until  the  steam 
has  displaced  the  water,  and  to  have  no  uneasiness 
if  there  is  some  noise,  as  there  will  be  no  danger. 
See  that  the  ends  of  the  radiators  farthest  from  the 
valve  are  the  highest.] 


ONE-PIPE  SYSTEM  AND  ITS  RELIEF  PIPES. 
K.  &  L.,  CORTLAND,  N.  Y.,  writes: 

"  Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  give  us  your  opinion  on 
the  one-pipe  system  and  its  relief  pipes  through  the 


columns  of  your  valuable  paper  and  oblige  a  constant 
reader.  We  have  just  completed  a  job  of  steam 
heating  in  a  private  residence,  wherein  there  are 
nine  radiators,  or  500  feet  ot  radiating  surface,  and 
while  doing  the  job  we  had  several  visitors  watching 
the  work,  and  among  them  a  man  who  thinks  he- 
knows  it  all,  and  who  has  made  some  trouble  for  us. 

We  used  the boiler,  of  Syracuse,  and  the 

job  works  good  and  heats  the  gentleman's  house  to  70 
degrees  in  zero  weather.  This  man  who  knows  it  all 
went  and  told  tne  party  that  had  the  work  done  that 
his  piping  was  all  wrong,  and  that  we  should  have 
carried  our  return  pipes  overhead.  Some  friend  of 
the  owner  has  so  worked  on  him  that  he  thinks  of 
having  it  done,  and  we  have  told  him  that  we  could 
prove  what  we  had  done  was  right  and  would  leave 
it  to  you  to  decide.  He  has  no  fault  to  find  with  the 
heat,  and  there  is  no  noise  or  hammering,  everything 
working  quietly  and  the  apparatus  carrying  only  two 
pounds  of  steam  in  cold  weather.  He  (this  man  who 
knows  it  all)  says  '  there  is  no  use  of  taking  a  relief 
from  every  radiator  pipe  before  we  rise  up  to  radia- 
tor.' We  have  nine  radiators  and  nine  relief  pipes; 
the  latter  dropped  to  the  cellar  bottom  and  carried 
back  to  boiler  on  floor,  and  on  the  main  lines  on  each 
end  we  have  a  relief  pipe.  All  pipes  pitch  from  the 
boiler.  Relief  pipe  only  %  pipe." 

[We  cannot  decide  on  the  merits  of  any  particular 
apparatus  on  ex-parte  representation,  or  at  least 
without  having  a  faithful  diagram  of  the  apparatus 
presented  to  us  for  publication.  On  a  principle, 
however,  we  are  free  to  give  our  views.  The  ques- 
tions here  involved,  if  we  understand  our  corres- 
pondent rightly,  are:  (i)  Whether  a  relief  pipe  from 
a  one-pipe  apparatus  should  be  carried  on  the  floor 
(and  consequently  below  the  water  line)  or  overhead, 
and  (2)  whether  a  relief  pipe  from  every  end  is  a 
detriment  or  not.  Our  reply  to  these  questions 
cannot  be  other  than  (i)  relief  pipes  are  best  when 
dropped  to  the  floor,  (2)  it  matters  not  how  many  re- 
lief pipes  are  taken  from  mains  if  they  all  drop 
below  the  water  line,  provided  there  is  at  least  one 
for  every  low  end  of  steam  pipe.  A  third  question 
may  be  involved,  which  is,  Whether  the  mains  for  a 
one- pipe  system  had  better  pitch  away  or  towards 
the  boiler?  Answer:  In  short  mains  they  may  pitch 
towards  the  boiler,  but  in  long  ones  they  should 
pitch  away  from  it.] 


DEFECTIVE   CIRCULATION   IN  A  ONE-PIPE- 
HEATING  JOB. 

F.  R.  ESHBACH,  Chicago,  111.,  writes: 

"Accompanying  is  a  rough  sketch  showing  the 
main  and  risers  ot  a  steam  job  I  helped  to  do  last 
winter.  It  is  in  a  four-story  double  flat  building. 
The  boiler  is  a  double  •  Florida,'  and  it  works  all  right 
except  the  place  where  it  is  marked  b.  Although 
there  is  a  i-inch  drip  in  the  main  at  that  point,  it 
fills  up  with  water  in  that  riser.  Now  it  was  changed 
a  few  weeks  ago.  and  where  it  ran  to  the  wall,  then 
down  and  to  the  boiler,  it  now  goes  up  and  over  into 
the  header  with  a  drip  at  the  point  of  rising.  Now 
the  question  is,  Will  it  work  ?  It  has  not  been  tried. 
The  returns  are  all  supplied  with  automatic  air  vents 
of  the  Marsh  patent." 

[This  system  is  "essentially  a  single-pipe  arrange- 
ment, which  consists  of  a  continuous  circuit  that  may 
be  conventionally  indicated  by  diagram,  Fig.  2, 
where  the  steam  is  distributed  through  main  S  to 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


vertical  risers  V  V,  etc.,  and  returns,  with  all  con- 
densation water  through  same  pipe  and  a  branch  R 
to  the  bottom  of  the  heater  at  7,  the  main  being 
pitched  continuously  downward  from  i,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6, 
to  7.  If  the  pipes  are  large  enough  and  properly  ar- 
ranged and  connected,  this  system  will  work,  but  in 
the  present  case  the  arrangement  is  poor  and  lacks 
directness  and  traps  are  formed,  as  indicated  by 
dotted  lines  at  T  T,  Fig.  2,  which  would  seal  up  the 
whole  circulation  if  not  drained  by  drip  pipes  D  D, 
that  discharge  through  pipe  M  to  the  return  main  R. 


{  ..„  „  i      i   , 
Iff    ix 

= „..*-!-- i •% 


'.II 


The  reason  for  the  water  rising  at  b  is  undoubtedly 
the  insufficient  area  of  the  horizontal  mains  of  the 
apparatus  for  the  work  that  it  has  to  do,  and  the 
height  of  the  mams  above  the  water  line  of  the 
boiler.  At  a  the  main  has  to  drop  under  a  girder, 
and  here  presumably  the  water  trouble  begins,  the 
water  standing  too  high  in  the  drip,  though  it  may 
not  be  apparent  at  that  point.  At  b  it  becomes  quite 
apparent,  as  the  pressure  is  constantly  becoming  less, 
and  the  pitch  of  the  pipe  bringing  it  nearer  the  water 
line.  The  improvement  you  mention,  and  as  shown 
by  the  dotted  line  c,  is  equivalent  to  enlarging  the 
main,  as  it  adds  to  its  capacity,  and  connects  direct 
from  the  boiler  to  the  point  of  least  pressure  in  the 
apparatus.  We  consider  this  an  improvement,  but 
whether  it  is  sufficient  to  overcome  the  whole  diffi- 
culty we  are  unable  to  say  without  more  data.  If 
not  make  the  pipe  C  larger,  say  2  or  2  !^  inches,  and 
if  this  will  not  do,  enlarge  the  mains  throughout.] 


THE  COMPARATIVE  MERITS  OF   THE   ONE 

AND  TWO-PIPE  SYSTEMS  OF  STEAM 

HEATING. 

STEAMFITTER,  Brooklyn,  writes. 

"  I  notice  in  your  issue  of  the  24th  inst.  an  inquiry 
from  a  correspondent  in  reference  to  the  one-pipe 
system  of  steam  heating  and  your  reply  thereto,  and 
would  like  to  say  a  word  in  reference  to  the.  matter. 
You  say,  first,  that  the  system  is  often  at  a  disadvan- 
tage in  buildings  that  cover  a  good  deal  of  ground, 
when  contrasted  with  the  two-pipe  system.  This  is 
not  the  case  with  the  one-pipe  system,  as  that  term  is 
now  used;  that  is  to  say,  where  but  one  pipe  is  used 
for  feed  and  for  return  for  vertical  pipes  and  radiator 
connections,  and  separate  systems  of  horizontal  feed 
and  return  pipes  are  used.  The  writer  has  seen  a 
number  of  dwellings  and  similar  buildings  in  which' 
there  was  not  a  return  or  relief  pipe  of  any  descrip- 
tion, the  water  of  condensation  being  all  returned 
through  the  steam  mains,  and  of  course  discharged 
into  the  top  of  the  boiler.  These  were  all  odd  jobs, 
and  the  boilers  had  to  be  set  very  low  in  order  to  get 
the  required  inclination  for  the  pipes.  In  regard  to 
a  radiator  with  but  one  pipe  making  more  noise  when 
steam  is  turned  on  than  if  it  had  two  pipes,  I  must 
say  that  it  is  news  to  me,  though  I  have  seen  steam 
turned  on  to  a  good  many  radiators  with  both  styles 
of  piping.  That  it  takes  longer  to  free  the  radiator 
from  water  with  one  pipe  than  with  two  I  admit,  but 
your  remarks  in  regard  to  the  results  caused  by  a 
leaky  valve,  or  one  not  propery  closed,  will  apply 
equally  well  to  both  styles  of  piping,  with  this  de- 
cided advantage,  however,  on  the  side  of  the  one- 
pipe  system,  that  there  are  only  half  as  many  valves 
to  get  out  of  order  or  be  carelessly  operated;  for  with 
the  two-pipe  system,  as  with  the  other,  everything 
wants  to  be  shut  tight  or  else  be  wide  open,  though 
it  is  hard  to  make  some  people  (and  not  a  tew  either) 
believe  that  they  haven't  done  their  whole  duty  when 
they  have  shut  the  feed  valve  and  left  the  return 
valve  to  take  care  of  itself.  Finally,  I  claim  that  in 
low-pressure  heating,  where  the  one-pipe  system  is 
admissible  at  all,  it  has  some  decided  advantages 
which  do  render  it  the  best:  (i)  It  has  but  half  as 
many  valves  to  be  operated  and  get  out  of  order;  (2) 
it  has  but  half  as  many  stuffing-boxes  to  leak;  (3)  it 
does  not  involve  so  much  cutting  of  beams  in  running 
radiator  connections;  (4)  where  rising  lines  are  ex- 
posed one  pipe  is  certainly  less  objectionable,  as 


m- 


'1T« 


'  /'/4'  /&  /ft  ?'/4 

DEFECTIVE  CIRCULATION   IN  A  ONE-PIPE  HEATING   SYSTEM. 


254 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


regards  looks,  than  two,  and  any  deviation  from  the 
path  of  rectitude  and  perpendicularity  is  less  no- 
ticeable; (5)  and,  finally,  as  you  yourself  admit,  it 
costs  less.  When  properly  put  up  one  system  will 
work  as  well  as  the  other.  When  improperly  put  up 
neither  one  is  fit  to  have  in  the  house." 

[There  is  very  much  less  objection  to  a  one-pipe 
system  that  has  separate  steam  and  return  mains 
than  there  is  to  a  one-pipe  system  with  no  separate 
return  main.  It  is  in  fact  a  two-pipe  system  as  far 
as  the  mains  are  concerned.  The  principal  objection, 
however,  to  a  radiator  with  a  single  pipe  and  valve 
for  both  the  steam  and  the  condensed  water  is,  that 
when  the  radiator  is  full  or  partly  full  of  condensed 
water  there  is  a  conflict  between  the  steam  to  enter 
•  and  the  condensed  water  to  run  out.  When  steam  is 
let  into  an  empty  radiator,  as  the  specific  heat  of  the 
iron  is  not  great,  and  as  it  takes  some  time  to  expel 
the  air,  the  influx  of  the  steam  as  well  as  the  conden- 
sation is  comparatively  slow,  and  thus  the  condensed 
water  is  enabled  to  run  out  along  the  bottom  of  the 
steam  pipe  in  a  contrary  direction  to  the  flow  of 
steam  without  difficulty,  provided  the  pipe  is  large 
enough.  If,  however,  the  radiator  has  been  con- 
densed full  of  water  by  being  imperfectly  closed  the 
steam  cannot  flow  in  until  the  water  flows  out. 

During  the  struggle  for  right  of  way  portions  of 
the  steam  are  suddenly  condensed  and  the  vacuum 
thus  formed  sucks  violently  back  the  escaping  water 
with  the  effect  of  causing  that  sharp,  uncushioned 
blow  called  a  water-hammer,  so  well  understood  by 
the  experienced  engineer  and  so  disagreeably  familiar 
to  all  users  of  defective  steam-heating  arrangements. 

This  water-hammer  will  occur  also  in  the  two-pipe 
system  under  like  circumstances,  but  as  in  that  case 
the  steam  is  driving  the  water  out  before  it,  there  is 


no  struggle  for  right  of  way,  and  as  the  steam  and 
water  are  less  mingled  the  water  hammer  is  not  likely 
to  be  so  severe  and  is  certain  to  last  for  a  much 
shorter  time. 

This  is  the  principal  objection  to  the  one-pipe  sys- 
tem and  exists  no  matter  how  large  the  steam  pipe 
or  how  well  and  carefully  run,  no  matter  what  the 
pressure  used,  which  is  usually  low — about  one 
pound. 

A  two-pipe  system,  however,  can  be  so  arranged 
that  it  will  not  make  a  "  water  hammer,"  no  matter 
how  badly  it  is  managed  by  the  user,  if  it  is  run  at 
very  low  pressure,  and  only  one  valve  will  be  required 
to  operate  each  radiator.  When  the  return  pipe  of 
each  radiator  of  a  very  low-pressure  system  is  carried 
separately  below  the  water  line,  the  return  valve  can 
be  omitted  on  the  radiator,  or,  if  put  on,  it  can  be 
allowed  to  remain  open;  then  the  radiator  can  be 
operated  with  all  the  ease  and  convenience  of  the 
one-pipe  system,  and  as  the  radiator  can  never  £  et 
full  of  water,  the  noisy  disturbance  above  described 
cannot  occur. 

This  is  plain  to  any  one  thoroughly  versed  in  low- 
pressure  heating,  but  for  the  information  of  our  less 
experienced  readers  we  will  explain  that  when  steam 
is  shut  off  from  a  radiator  whose  return  pipe  runs 
separately  to  below  the  water  line,  unless  the  pressure 
carried  exceeds  one  pound  for  every  28  inches  that 
the  radiator  is  above  the  water  line  the  water  will 
not  back  up  into  the  radiator,  and  there  will  conse- 
quently never  be  any  water  in  it,  provided  of  course 
that  the  usual  automatic  air  valves  are  used,  which 
prevent  the  formation  of  a  vacuum  that  might  other- 
wise suck  the  radiator  full  of  water  when  the  steam 
was  shut  off.] 


EXHAUST-STEAM   HEATING. 


HEAT  OF  EXHAUST  STEAM. 

STEAMFITTER,  New  York,  writes: 

"  Your  journal  has  been  remarkably  successful 
in  giving  satisfactory  replies  to  the  queries  of  prac- 
tical men,  who  in  their  experience  discover  facts  that 
seem  to  be  at  variance  with  established  truths.  I 
therefore  submit  to  you  the  following  questions  for 
solution : 

"  (i)  Why  is  it  that  one  pound  pressure  of  steam 
in  a  radiator  supplied  direct  from  a  low-pressure 
boiler  gives  more  heat  than  a  radiator  supplied  with 
exhaust  steam  at  one  or  two  pounds  pressure  ? 

"(2)  Is  not  exhaust  steam  at  one  pound  pressure 
as  hot  as  live  steam  at  the  same  pressure  ?  " 

[Steam  at  one  pound  pressure  at  n.aximum  density 
has  a  temperature  of  215°  Fahr. — omitting  factions 
— whether  it  is  live  or  exhaust,  and  therefore  should 
give  the  same  heat  in  a  radiator. 

Exhaust  steam,  however,  remains  neither  at  a  con- 
stant temperature  nor  density,  whereas  live  steam 
ordinarily  does.  Practically,  therefore,  a  live-steam 
radiator  with  a  pressure  of  one  pound  gives  a  better 
result  than  an  exhaust-steam  radiator  in  which  the 


maximum  back  pressure  on  the  engine  is  one  or  two 
pounds. 

If  you  will  place  a  pressure  gauge  on  the  exhaust 
pipe  of  an  engine — at  some  convenient  point  between 
the  steam  chest  and  the  back- pressure  valve — it  will 
often  be  noticed  that  it  jumps  to  two  or  three 
pounds  at  the  moment  that  the  exhaust  valve  opens 
and  permits  the  steam  to  escape  from  the  cvlinder. 
It  will  also  be  noticed  that  for  half  or  three-quarters 
of  the  time  the  gauge  hand  rests  on  the  stop-pin.  At 
these  times— when  the  hand  is  on  the  stop-pin — the 
pressure  of  the  exhaust  steam  has  fallen  below  that 
of  the  atmosphere,  but  just  how  much  we  are  unable 
to  say,  as  it  varies  in  different  cases,  depending  on 
the  style  of  engine  used,  the  size  of  the  exhaust  pipe, 
the  load  on  the  back-pressure  valves,  the  resistance 
of  the  coils,  whether  they  are  open  to  the  atmosphere 
at  their  drip  ends,  and  other  causes.  It  is  reasonable 
in  any  case  to  suppose  that,  owing  to  condensation 
in  the  coils,  it  falls  more  below  the  atmospheric  line 
than  it  rises  above  it,  and  therefore  if  we  assume  a. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


355 


pressure  of,  say  two  pounds  above  for  one-fourth  of 
the  time  and  four  pounds  below  for  the  remaining 
three-fourths  of  the  time  our  main  effective  temper- 
ature for  heating  will  be  but  about  205  5  degrees — 
the  temperature  of  two  pounds  above  atmosphere 
being  219  degrees,  and  at  five  pounds  below  at- 
mosphere being  201  degrees. 

This  would  show  that  the  exhaust  steam,  under 
circumstances  that  are  probably  more  favorable  than 
will  occur  in  ordinary  practice,  though  usually  sup- 
posed to  be  above  atmospheric  pressure,  really  has  a 
mean  temperature  of  fully  10  degrees  less  than  live 
steam  at  one  pound  pressure,  and  investigation  may 
show  that  the  difference  may  be  twice  as  great  in 
ordinary  exhaust  heating. 

The  diagram  shows  approximately  the  variations 
of  pressure  in  the  exhaust  pipe. 


The  following  arrangement  has  been  used,  by  the 
writer  for  some  years  to  overcome  this  fluctuation  of 
pressure:  He  places  the  back-pressure  valve  as  far 
as  possible  from  the  engine,  so  that  the  resistance 
in  the  pipe  will  reduce  the  impact  of  the  steam  on 
the  underside  of  the  disk  of  the  back-pressure  valve, 
and  in  the  same  way  reduces  the  shock  to  the  spring 
of  the  back-pressure  gauge  by  putting  several  turns 
in  the  gauge  pipe  and  having  the  valve  or  cock 
under  the  gauge  "  choked  "  down,  which,  with  the 
inertia  of  the  water  condensed  in  the  gauge  pipe, 
gives  a  steady  motion  to  the  index  hand  of  the  gauge. 
The  stop-pin  of  the  gauge  is  also  removed,  which, 
by  allowing  the  hand  to  fall  back,  gives  some  indica- 
tion of  the  lowest  pressure  in  the  pipe,  which  is 
nearly  always  below  that  of  the  atmosphere. 

He  then  arranges  a  swinging  check  valve  in  the 
branch  of  the  exhaust  pipe  that  goes  to  the  heating 
coils  in  such  a  manner  as  to  receive  as  much  as  pos- 
sible of  the  impact  of  the  steam  as  it  escapes  from 
the  engine.  The  check  valve  is  thus  forced  open  at 
the  moment  of  exhaust,  but  instantly  closes,  and  so 
maintains  a  considerably  higher  pressure  in  the  coils 
than  the  average  of  that  in  the  exhaust  pipe.] 


WHEN  IS  IT  ECONOMICAL  TO  USE  EXHAUST 
STEAM  FOR  HEATING? 

ENGINEER,  of  New  York,  writes: 

"  A  short  time  ago  I  saw  in  your  columns  a  ques- 
tion substantially  as  the  one  above,  together  with 
your  answer,  in  which  you  outlined  the  general  con- 
ditions governing  the  economical  use  of  exhaust 
steam. 

"An  actual  example  which  recently  came  to  my 
notice  may  prove  of  interest  in  connection  with  this. 

"  A  certain  engine,  furnishing  power  for  a  manu- 
facturing establishment,  was  tested  with  the  view  of 
obtaining  a  proper  basis  for  charges  for  steam.  In- 
dicator cards  were  taken,  and  showed  a  heavy  back 
pressure,  something  like  15  pounds,  due  to  the  ex- 
haust being  forced  through  a  number  of  coils  of  2- 
inch  pipe  into  a  tank  which  served  the  purpose  of  a 
feed-water  heater.  The  question  therefore  at  once 
presented  itself  whether  heating  the  feed  water  in 


this  way  was  economical,  or  whether  better  results 
could  be  obtained  by  pumping  the  feed  water  into 
the  boiler  at  its  normal  temperature  and  allowing  the 
engine  to  exhaust  through  a  much  larger  pipe  freely 
into  the  atmosphere;  or  in  other  words,  whether  it 
was  more  profitable  to  use  the  steam  in  the  cylinder 
of  the  engine  or  in  the  heater. 

"Calculations  from  the  indicator  cards  showed. 
that  the  amount  of  steam  used  per  hour,  with  back 
pressure,  was  595.63  pounds.  The  total  heat  in  the 
steam  exhausted  per  hour  was  708,954  heat  units, 
and  this  steam  was  found  to  raise  the  temperature  of 
the  feed  water  in  the  tank  about  100  degrees.  The 
amount  of  heat  necessary  to  do  this  was,  obviously, 
about  595  63  X  100,  or  59.563  units.  Of  the  total 
number  of  heat  units  (708,954)  discharged  from  the 
engine  there  were  therefore  actually  realized  only 
the  above  noted  59,563,  or  about  8j/j  per  cent. 

"  If  this  heating  had  been  done  in  the  boiler  it 
would  have  required,  theoretically,  about  four 
pounds  of  coal.  When  the  feed-water  heater  was 
not  in  use,  and  the  back  pressure  was  reduced  prac- 
tically to  zero,  the  hourly  amount  of  steam  used  in 
the  engine  was  only  444. 77  pounds,  showing  a  saving 
°f  595  63  —  444.77  =  150.86  pounds.  Assuming  that 
the  boiler  evaporates,  say,  nine  pounds  of  water  per 

150.86 
pound  of  coal,  we  find  that =  16.76  pounds  of 

coal  are  required  to  produce  the  surplus  steam  which, 
in  passing  through  the  feed  water,  does  work  in 
heating  which  is  equivalent  to  only  four  pounds  of 
coal  burned  under  the  boiler. 

"  It  was  therefore  a  manifest  disadvantage  to 
employ  the  heater  in  this  case  and  it  was  removed." 


STEAM  HEATING  AT  THE  EDISON  PHONO- 
GRAPH WORKS,  LLEWELLYN,  N.  J. 

E.  E.  MAGOVERN  sends  the  following  particulars 
of  the  steam-heating  work  recently  done  at  the  Edi- 
son Phonograph  Works,  at  Llewellyn,  N.  J.: 

The  "  doll-shop  "  is  shown  in  outline  in  Figs,  i  and 
2.  It  is  heated  by  a  combination  of  the  overhead 
and  the  ordinary  floor  systems.  The  building  is  of 
wood,  weather-planked  and  lined  inside  with  about 
one-half  inch  of  yellow  pine,  tongued  and  grooved. 
The  floor  is  of  i  inch  white  pine,  raised  3  or  4  inches 
above  the  ground  on  brick  pillars,  the  sides,  front, 
and  back  being  continued  to  the  ground.  The  mean 
height  of  the  room  is  taken  as  16  feet.  The  windows 
measure  2'9%"x7',  making  for  each  window  17  25 
square  feet  of  glass  surtace.  The  surfaces  and  cubic 
contents  are  as  follows: 


Contents,  Cubic 

fcyUAKE   FEET   HEATING   {SURFACE. 

Feet. 

Above. 

Below. 

Total. 

A  =  19,072 

1  18 

43 

181 

B  =  10,624 

84 

37 

121 

C  =  49,5" 

.  323 

IOO 

423 

D  =  30,800 
K  =  13,400 

2IO 

Heated  b 

-,-63 
y  ordinary  ra 

273 

diators. 

F  =    8  800 

68 

16 

Ratios,  Square  Feet  Heating 
Surface  to  Cubic  Feet 
Contents. 

No.  of 
Windows. 

Square  Feet 
of  Glass. 

A  —  i    105 

15 

259 

B-i    87 

10 

178 

C—  i    117 

3' 

535 

D—  i    113 

18 

311 

K-.  .. 



F—  i    104 

4 

"69 

THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


Assume  Factor 

Total  Exposed 
Surfaces. 

Exposed 
Surface. 
Less  Glass. 

for  White  Pine 
=  80  Tgg,,  = 
Equivalent 
Square  Feet 

Total  Glass 
Surface. 

Glass. 

A  —  1,203 

944 

7'-5 

335 

B—   780 

607 

48-56 

222 

0—2,264 

i.729 

138-32 

673 

D—  1,470 

I,  '59 

9Z-7-2 

404 

E-.... 



F—    420 

35' 

28.08 

97 

PIPE.  5 


f?ETUKN    TO 


ro  i£ 


10 

^1 

<J    Q 

| 

t 

0 

0 

1 

CO 

1 

kj 

\ 

"1 

D 

cf 

I 

o 

hi 

l\ 

Q 

\* 

•J 


F/&.  2 


FlG.1 

STEAM   HEATING  AT   ED1SCN*S   PHONOGRAPH   WORKS. 

Baldwin's  rule  (see  "Steam  Heating  for  Build- 
ings," by  W.  J.  Baldwin,  page  27)  then  gives  for  the 
number  of  square  feet  of  heating  surface:  A,  167;  B, 
an;  C,  337;  D,  202;  F,  42.  These  figures  do  not 
compare  unfavorably  with  those  above. 

.The  spring  due  to  expansion  is  taken  up  by  the 
arrangement  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Exhaust  steam  only, 
at  about  atmospheric  pressure,  is  used,  and  both  the 
overhead  and  floor  systems  are  fed  from  the  center 
of  the  building. 


METHOD  OF  USING  EXHAUST  STEAM  TO 
WARM  BUILDINGS. 

STEAMFITTER,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  writes: 

"  Will  you  for  the  benefit  of  your  steamfitting 
readers  generally  and  the  undersigned  in  particular, 
give  an  illustration  of  a  proper  method  of  arranging 
for  the  use  of  the  exhaust  steam  from  an  engine  for 
heating  purposes,  and  explain  the  reasons,  etc.,  for 
the  arrangement. 

"  My  conditions  are  these:  I  have  a  pair  of  boilers, 
an  engine,  a  feed-water  heater,  etc.,  to  connect  in  a 
factory  and  I  then  desire  to  arrange  the  piping  so  I 
can  send  the  exhaust  steam  of  the  engine  to  the  heat- 
ing pipes  in  winter  and  to  the  roof  in  summer,  caus- 
ing the  least  back  pressure  possible  to  the  engine  and 
securing  the  greatest  that  I  can  in  the  heating  pipes. 
I  also  desire  to  know  how  the  grease  from  the  engine 
and  exhaust  steam  is  to  be  prevented  from  getting 
into  the  boilers  with  the  return  water. 

"Any  other  pertinent  information  that  you  can  add 
will  be  gratefully  received." 

[The  subject  of  the  arrangement  of  pipes,  etc.,  for 
the  use  of  exhaust  steam  from  engines  in  the  warm- 
ing of  buildings  is  an  extensive  one  and  there  is  more 
than  one  way  to  do  it.  There  are  general  principles, 
however,  that  apply  to  all  arrangements  of  this  kind, 
an  understanding  of  which  can  be  obtained  from  the 
accompanying  diagram,  which  illustrates  the  method 
used  by  William  J.  Baldwin  in  his  factory  practice 
and  which  he  explains  as  follows: 

Steam  is  taken  from  the  boilers  to  the  engine,  as 
shown  at  the  right  of  the  diagram.  In  some  engines 
the  exhaust  steam  leaves  the  engine  at  the  top  of  the 
steam  chest,  but  in  this  case  it  is  shown  leaving  it  at 
the  under  side,  which  is  preferable,  as  the  water  of 
condensation  formed  in  the  cylinder,  etc.,  is  at  once 
taken  away  through  drip  pipe  d  to  the  sewer  or  else- 
where. From  this  point  the  exhaust  pipe  is  carried 
under  the  feed-water  heater,  but  with  branches  to  it 
as  shown.  Often  the  exhaust  pipe  is  so  arranged  as 
to  force  all  of  the  exhaust  steam  through  the  heater. 
This,  however,  is  not  necessary,  as  the  feed  water 
requires  only  about  one-filth  of  all  the  exhaust  steam 
to  warm  it  to  its  hottest  (212°  Fahr.).  It  is  therefore 
better  to  pass  the  main  exhaust  pipe  under  the  heater, 
as  shown  in  the  diagram,  with  two  branch  pipes 
(i  and  2  as  shown)  connecting  with  the  inlet  and 
outlet  o£  the  heater.  These  pipes  are  furnished 
with  valves,  and  a  valve  (No.  3  in  the  main  exhaust 
pipe)  can  be  introduced  so  as  to  force  any  desired 
amount  of  the  exhaust  steam  through  valve  No.  i 
into  the  heater;  returning  by  valve  No.  2  into  the 
main  exhaust  pipe  again.  It  has  been  found  in 
practice  that  it  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  use 
valve  No.  3,  as  steam  will  circulate  through  the 
heater  the  same  as  it  will  through  any  ordinary  radi- 
ator even  if  this  valve  is  open.  Many  engineers, 
however,  are  not  satisfied  with  this  arrangement, 
and  therefore  valve  No.  3  is  introduced  so  that  the 
engineer  can  adjust  it  to  suit  his  own  ideas  of  circu- 
lation. With  the  arrangement  of  valves  and  pipes, 
as  shown  underneath  the  feed-water  heater,  the 
resistance  of  the  back  pressure  of  the  engine  is  less 
than  it  is  when  the  exhaust  steam  is  all  forced 
through  the  heater,  as  is  usually  done. 

Just  beyond  this  point  in  the  exhaust  pipe  it  is  well 
to  use  another  drip  d  as  shown,  as  much  steam, 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


257 


about  one-fifth  the  weight  of  all  that  leaves  the 
engine,  is  condensed  in  the  heater  and  should  be  got 
rid  of  at  this  point  as  quickly  as  possible,  though 
many  neglect  to  make  this  provision  and  keep  the 
condensed  water  in  the  exhaust  pipe,  where  it  is 
forced  to  the  top  of  the  house  or  elsewhere,  causing 
additional  resistance  and  back  presure  on  the  engine. 
To  this  point  (where  the  main  exhaust  pipe  rises), 
the  arrangement  of  the  exhaust  pipe  is  the  same 
whether  the  exhaust  steam  is  to  be  used  for  heating 
purposes  or  not.  Beyond  this,  to  the  left,  com- 
mences the  arrangement  for  utilizing  the  exhaust 
steam  in  warming.  First,  there  is  a  check  valve  C  V 
through  which  the  exhaust  steam  is  forced  into  the 
separating  tank  G  T,  sometimes  called  a  "  grease 
tank."  The  object  of  the  check  valve  is  to  keep  the 
pressure  of  steam  constant  within  the  grease  tank 
and  heating  pipes,  and  equal  to  or  a  little  above  the 
atmospheric  pressure,  thus  preventing  the  fluctua- 
tions of  the  pressure  that  must  occur  within  the 


ever,  when  there  is  a  cellar  or  basement  underneath 
the  engine-room  in  which  the  grease  tank  can  be 
located.  It  sometimes  happens  that  the  grease  tank 
is  above  the  horizontal  part  of  the  exhaust  pipe,  in 
which  case  the  drip  pipes  d  d  are  indispensably 
necessary. 

In  the  present  instance,  as  before  stated,  most  of 
the  condensed  water  from  the  heater  passes  into  the 
grease  tank;  but  in  any  case  considerable  water 
accumulates  in  the  grease  tank,  and  has  to  be  re- 
moved as  fast  as  it  comes  in.  For  this  reason  the 
bent  pipe  shown  in  the  center  of  the  grease  tank  is 
employed.  It  is  simply  a  goose-neck  made  with 
fittings,  and  is  usually  about  2  inches  in  diameter. 
It  is  arranged  so  as  to  keep  the  tank  about  half-full 
of  water,  in  which  its  inlet  is  submerged  about  half- 
way. The  branch  at  the  top  of  the  bend  is  to  pre- 
vent syphoning  and  secure  a  steady  discharge  of  the 
water  into  the  t'-ap  T.  This  water,  it  will  be  noticed, 
is  neither  drawn  from  the  bottom  nor  from  the  sur- 


METHOD   OF   USING  EXHAUST  STEAM. 


exhaust  pipes,  near  the  engine,  from  reaching  the 
heating  system. 

The  grease  tank  has  a  twofold  object — first  to 
separate  the  grease  from  the  exhaust  steam,  and 
second,  to  act  as  a  reservoir.  As  the  exhaust  steam 
enters  the  tank  it  strikes  the  surface  of  the  contained 
water,  and  by  this  forcible  contact  the  greater  part  of 
the  grease  is  caught  and  held  by  the  water.  The 
particles  of  grease  that  are  not  at  once  thus  caught 
gradually  separate  from  the  steam  as  it  passes  slowly 
forward  from  one  end  of  the  grease  tank  to  the 
other,  and  eventually  also  reach  the  water,  where 
they  remain.  From  the  grease  tank  the  steam 
ascends  through  the  pipe  at  the  left,  and  enters  the 
heating  system. 

If  the  arrangement  of  exhaust  pipes,  check  valve, 
etc.,  can  be  carried  out  as  shown  in  the  diagram,  the 
water  condensed  in  the  heater  can  then  be  thrown 
directly  into  the  grease  tank,  and  the  drip  pipes  d  d 
will  not  be  required.  This  can  only  be  done,  how- 


face,  but  at  a  point  midway  where  it  contains  little 
or  no  grease.  Since  the  light  oils  float  on  the  surface 
of  the  water  in  the  tank,  and  the  heavy  oils  and 
earthy  matters  sink  to  the  bottom,  this  prevents  the 
grease  and  oil  from  being  carried  into  the  trap  and 
thence  into  the  sewers,  and  permits  the  oil  to  be 
drawn  off  and  saved  if  desired. 

The  trap  shown  is  an  Aschcrof  t  "open-bucket  trap," 
which  operates  an  ordinary  plug  cock.  This  trap 
will  not  discharge  water  hotter  than  212  degrees. 
Should  the  water  be  hot  enough  to  give  off  a  vapor 
of  above  the  atmospheric  pressure,  the  vapor  will 
raise  the  float  and  close  the  cock.  Pulsations  or 
variations  of  pressure  within  the  grease'  tank  will 
not  materially  affect  the  operation  of  this  trap,  as  its 
discharge  depends  upon  the  temperature  only.  To 
the  right  of  the  trap,  and  joining  the  syphon  trap  S 
T,  is  a  blow-off  pipe  from  the  grease  tank.  This 
pipe  is  used  to  draw  the  water  from  the  tank  when 
necessary,  and  if  so  desired  the  grease  maybe  blown 


258 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


out  in  the  same  manner.  The  overflow  from  the  trap 
T  is  connected  with  the  sewer  or  some  other  suit- 
able place  of  discharge,  and  the  deep  syphon  trap  S 
T  prevents  any  back  pressure  on  the  trap  from  the 
main  exhaust  pipe,  through  the  drip  pipes  d  d. 

The  second  object  of  the  grease  tank  before 
alluded  to,  is  that  it  forms  a  reservoir  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  exhaust  steam  at  the  moment  it  leaves  the 
engine.  When  the  engine  discharges  directly  into 
the  pipes  of  a  building,  the  resistance  of  the  pipes 
is  such  that  the  pressure  within  them  does  not  readily 
yield  to  the  impulse  from  the  engine.  When  exhaust- 
ing into  a  large  tank,  however,  the  tank  receives  the 
whole,  or  nearly  the  whole,  cylinder  full  of  exhaust 
steam  at  the  moment  the  engine  lets  go.  It  then  has 
time  to  pass  with  slightly  diminished  pressure  into 
the  heating  pipes  during  the  interval  before  the  en- 
gine exhausts  again,  and  if  properly  arranged  will 
keep  the  pressure  in  the  pipes  always  above  that  of 
the  atmosphere. 

The  water  of  condensation  from  an  exhaust  steam 
apparatus  may  be  returned  either  to  a  receiving  tank 
or  pumped  directly  into  the  boiler,  in  which  case  the 
apparatus  should  have  a  pump  governor  as  at  G,  by 
which  pump  P  is  automatically  controlled  so  that  i's 
speed  may  correspond  to  the  rate  at  which  the  return 
water  come  back.  If  the  condensed  water  does  not 
have  to  be  raised  to  the  boiler  a  Kieley  trap  will 
answer  to  return  it. 

The  receiving  tank  can  be  omitted  if  desired,  but 
it  is  safer  to  have  one  so  as  to  be  able  to  take  care  of 
the  water  of  condensation  for  an  hour  or  so  should 
the  pump  or  governor  get  out  of  order. 

The  usual  method  of  connecting  a  pump  governor 
is  shown  in  the  illustration.  The  steam  pipe  S  leads 
directly  from  the  boiler  to  the  pump,  and  when  valve 

1  is  open  and  valves  2  and  3  are  closed  the  pump  has 
to  be  controlled  by  hand.     To  control  the  pump  by 
the  pump  governor  G  the  valve  i  is  closed  and  valves 

2  and  3  are  opened,  and  the  steam  to  the  pump  then 
passes  through  the  valve  at  the  top  of  the  governor; 
and  this  valve  is  controlled  by  a  float  within  the  body 
of  the  governor  which  opens  it  as  the  water  rises,  and 
vice  versa. 

It  often  becomes  necessary  to  admit  live  steam 
into  an  exhaust-steam  system.  When  there  is  suffi- 
cient exhaust  steam  for  all  'heating  purposes,  of 
course  this  is  not  required  except  to  supply  heat  be- 
fore the  engine  starts  or  when  it  has  stopped  at  noon- 
time. It  is  usual  te  arrange  a  reducing  valve  for  this 
purpose,  as  shown  at  R  V,  with  a  valve  at  each  side 
of  it  for  convenience  of  repairing  or  removing  the  re- 
ducing valve  without  either  interrupting  the  exhaust- 
steam  supply  or  shutting  the  live  steam  off  at  the 
boiler.  A  reducing  valve  should  always  be  placed  as 
close  as  possible  to  the  system  or  apparatus  which  it 
is  to  regulate,  and  if  placed  near  the  boiler  the  pipe  be- 
yond it  should  be  enlarged  to  correspond  to  the  di- 
minished pressure  and  increased  volume  of  the  steam. 
The  resistance  of  a  long  pipe  of  small  diameter  be- 
tween the  reducing  valve  and  the  heating  main  is 
often  many  times  greater  than  the  pressure  required 
in  the  heating  system,  and  if  the  valve  is  adjusted  to 


that  pressure  to  begin  with,  and  the  pressure  further 
reduced  by  the  long,  small  pipe  no  satisfactory  re- 
sults can  be  obtained.  Many  a  good  reducing  valve 
is  made  inoperative  and  the  valve  blamed  for  the 
ignorance  of  the  man  who  put  it  in  the  wrong  posi- 
tion. 

Another  serious  case  of  trouble  and  waste  of  steam 
is  when  live  steam  for  heating  purposes  is  introduced 
into  the  exhaust  pipe  at  a  point  between  the  check 
valve  C  V  and  the  engine.  This  results  frequently 
in  a  great  loss  of  live  steam  through  the  exhaust 
pipe  and  back -pressure  valve,  and  also  increases  the 
back  pressure  on  the  engine.  A  connection  of  this 
kind  should  never  be  made  except  as  shown  in  the 
diagram. 

The  position  of  the  back-pressure  valve  in  the  main 
exhaust  pipe  should  also  receive  careful  attention.  It 
should  be  as  near  the  point  at  which  the  exhaust 
steam  passes  through  the  check  valve  as  it  is  possible 
to  get  it.  When  a  long  exhaust  pipe,  with  a  back- 
pressure valve  on  its  upper  end  or  near  the  roof,  is 
employed,  it  forms  a  chamber  into  which  the  exhaust 
steam  expands  when  released  from  the  engine,  in- 
stead of  being  forced  directly  through  the  check 
valve,  and  when  thus  arranged  it  is  not  possible  to 
obtain  as  high  a  pressure  in  the  heating  system.  The 
check  valve  for  the  exhaust  steam  should  be  of  the 
swinging  pattern.  A  poppet  valve  will  do,  but  as  a 
general  thing  they  are  very  noisy  and  require  more 
power  to  lift  them.] 


HEATING  BY  EXHAUST  STEAM,  ENGINE 
HORSE-POWER,  SIZES  OF  FLUES 

AND    REGISTERS. 
JOHN  GILLES,  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  writes: 
"i.  How  do  you  estimate  how  much  heating  sur- 
face can  be  heated  by  the  back  pressure  of  an  engine, 
supposing   you   had   a   10   horse-power  engine  ?    2. 
How  do  you  measure  the  horse-power  of  an  engine  ? 
3.  Do  you  use  the  same  size  registers  for  the  same 
number  of  square  feet  of  indirect  heating  surface  for 
hot  water  as  you  do  for  steam  ?    4.  How  much  larger 
must  the  register  be  than  the  flue  ? " 

[i.  You  allow  about  5  square  feet  of  radiation  to 
every  pound  weight  of  steam  exhausted  by  the  en- 
gine in  an  hour.  If  your  engine  is  of  the  slide-valve 
type  it  is  probably  using  from  45  to  possibly  60 
pounds  of  steam  per  horse-power  per  hour.  Assum- 
ing that  your  10  horse-power  engine  is  using  45 
pounds  per  horse-power  per  hour,  you  would  have 
nearly  450  pounds  exhausted,  and  this  ought  to  heat 
450  X  5  =  2,250  square  feet  of  radiation. 

2.  The  horse-power  of  an  engine  is  expressed  by 

2  PI  a  n 
the  formula  H.  P.  —  —T—~—  ,  in   which   P  equals 

JJiOOO 

the  mean  effective  pressure  as  calculated  from  an  in- 
dicator card,  /  the  length  of  stroke  in  feet,  a  the 
mean  area  of  the  piston,  or  one-half  the  area  of  the 
piston-rod  subtracted  from  the  area  of  the  piston, 
and  n  the  number  of  revolutions  per  minute. 

3  In  an  indirect  steam  job  the  least  flue  area  you 
should  have  should  be  i  to  \]^  square  inches  to  every 
square  foot  of  heating  surface,  provided  you  have  no 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


259 


long  horizontal  reaches  in  your  duct  with  little  rise. 
Your  register  should  have  twice  the  area  of  the  duct 
to  allow  for  the  fretwork. 

4.  For  a  hot-water  job  you  need  from  25  to  30  per 
cent,  more  heating  surface  and  flue  area  than  you  do 
in  one  for  low-pressure  steam. 

Mr.  Gilles  and  other  correspondents  who  desire 
prompt  answers  to  their  queries  should  not  fail  to 
give  their  full  address,  including  street  and  number 
or  post-office  box.  We  will  thus  in  some  instances  be 
enabled  to  mail  a  proof  of  the  reply  in  advance  of 
publication.] 


WHEN  IS  IT  ECONOMICAL  TO  USE  EXHAUST 

STEAM  FOR  HEATING? 
M.  E.,  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  writes: 

"  The  inquiry  in  a  recent  number  of  your  paper  as 
to  the  economy  of  using  exhaust  steam  for  heating, 
and  your  reply  to  it,  suggest  a  few  thoughts  on  the 
subject  in  general. 

"  Where  a  manufacturing  establishment  is  using 
steam  for  heating  as  well  as  for  power,  or  where 
there  are  two  establishments  adjoining,  one  of  which 
is  using  steam  for  power  and  the  other  for  heating, 
and  the  amount  of  steam  required  by  each  is  nearly 
the  same,  a  plant  can  be  erected  to  generate  the 
steam  for  use  in  the  two  places  at  a  small  advance  on 
the  cost  of  a  separate  plant  for  each.  The  reason  for 
this  is.  that  while  it  is  necessary  to  add  about  1,147 
heat  units  to  every  pound  of  water  of  a  temperature 
of  32°  Fahr.  in  order  to  change  it  into  steam  at  atmos- 
pheric pressure,,  it  requires  the  addition  of  only  33 
heat  units  to  give  us  the  same  weight  of  steam 
at  a  pressure  of  75  pounds  above  the  atmosphere. 
With  this  work  can  be  performed  in  the  engine,  and 
then  the  steam  can  be  delivered  for  heating  at  a  re- 
duced pressure,  with  but  slight  loss  as  compared  with 
the  gain  resulting  from  its  double  use. 

"In  practice  a  good  au tomatic cut- off  non- condens- 
ing engine  requires  about  30  pounds  of  steam,  of  60 
pounds  pressure,  per  hour  for  each  horse-power.  Of 
this  about  22  pounds  will  be  delivered  as  exhaust 
steam  in  the  neighborhood  of  atmospheric  pressure, 


and  is  available  for  heating  purposes;  or  71^  per 
cent,  of  the  heat  imparted  to  the  steam  in  the  boiler 
is  actually  available  for  heating  after  having  passed 
through  the  engine.  The  difference  between  this 
available  heat  and  the  theoretically  available  quan- 
tity is  lost  in  the  engine  by  cylinder  condensation, 
etc.  In  this  manner  it  would  be  possible  to  obtain 
power  and  afterwards  deliver  the  exhaust  steam  for 
heating.  The  proportionate  cost  of  the  coal  would 
be  about  three- tenths  for  the  power  and  seven -tenths 
for  the  heating. 

"  In  other  words,  if  an  establishment  had  been  pay- 
ing  $5,000  a  year  for  the  coal  used  in  generating  its 
steam  for  power,  and  it  could  subseauently  deliver 
the  exhaust  steam  for  heating  purposes  to  someone 
else,  the  quantity  so  delivered  would  have  cost  the 
one  using  it  $3,500  a  year  for  coal  if  generated  by 
himself,  leaving  the  cost  of  coal  to  the  one  using  the 
steam  for  power  $1,500  instead  of  $5,000  as  before. 
This  can  be  stated  also  in  another  way.  If  a  party 
is  paying  $3,500  per  year  for  coal  for  steam  for  heat- 
ing purposes  the  addition  of  $1,500  worth  of  coal  will 
add  sufficient  heat  to  enable  this  steam  to  be  used  to 
generate  power,  and  then  the  same  quantity  of  heat 
can  be  delivered  for  heating  as  before. 

"  Recently  I  was  called  upon  by  a  large  candle 
factory  to  determine  what  charge  should  be  made 
for  steam  and  power  which  was  furnished  to  a  lard 
refinery  next  door,  where  they  were  using  about 
4,150  pounds  of  live  steam  per  hour  for  general  pur- 
poses, besides  from  15  to  20  horse  power  requiring 
about  64  pounds  of  steam  per  hour  each,  or  altogether 
about  100  cubic  feet  of  water  per  hour  in  the  shape 
of  steam.  To  generate  this  steam  from  water  at  a 
temperature  of  122°  Fahr.  required  about  three  tons 
of  coal  per  day,  or  one  pound  of  coal  to  7^  pounds  of 
water  changed  into  steam  of  60  pounds  pressure. 
The  exhaust  steam  from  the  engine  was  used  in  the 
candle  factory  to  heat  the  feed  water  before  entering 
the  boilers,  and  also  for  heating  a  portion  of  the 
establishment,  with  such  favorable  results  that  it 
was  estimated  that  an  actual  saving  was  effected  in 
coal  consumed  of  80  tons  per  year  for  heating  the 
feed  water,  and  30  tons  for  the  heating  done  during 
one  winter,  being  about  13  tons  saved  per  month  in 
winter-time  by  the  exhaust  steam  generated  by  the 
consumption  of  17  tons  ot  coal  per  month.  In  this 
instance  no  back  pressure  in  the  engine  was  pro- 
duced." 


SYSTEMS   OF   PIPING. 


RADIATOR  CONNECTIONS. 
WILLIAM  J.  WELLS,  Monticello,  111.,  writes: 

"  I  have  a  job  of  hot- water  heating  with  four 
radiators  on  the  same  floor  with  the  boiler.  Will  it 
be  well  to  make  a  connection  at  the  top  of  the  main 
by  means  of  a  nipple  and  elbow  running  over  the 
wall  and  down  to  the  radiators,  or  will  I  have  to 
make  a  syphon  and  connect  it  with  the  expansion 
tank  just  before  I  drop  to  the  radiator?  " 

[If  you  want  to  make  a  radiator  work  on  the  same 
floor  as  the  boiler  the  only  way  to  do  so  is  by  using 
very  large  pipes,  say  \yz  or  2-inch,  to  each  radiator, 
being  sure  to  tap  the  radiators  as  large  as  the  pipes 
you  use.  Syphons  do  very  little  or  no  good,  as  the 
water  cools  as  much  in  the  upward  as  in  the  down- 
ward leg,  and  thus  makes  a  balance.  Be  sure  no  air 
collects  in  the  pipes  at  any  point.  If  you  go  up  and 


down  to  the  radiators  there  will  be  high  points  where 
air  can  collect,  at  which  you  must  place  air  valves  ] 


RETURNING    WATER    OF     CONDENSATION 
TO  A  BOILER. 

O.  P.,  New  York,  writes: 

"  Is  there  any  difficulty  in  heating  by  steam  and 
raturning  the  water  of  condensation  from  about  23 
feet  Below  level  of  boiler  to  a  tank  about  6  feet 
higher  ?  We  have  a  case  of  that  class  where  a  party 
wishes  us  to  do  their  heating,  and  we  have  never 
taken  a  job  of  that  kind." 

[There  is  no  difficulty  in  discharging  water  from 
heating  apparatus  23  feet  below  the  boiler  to  6  feet 
above  it  if  you  will  carry  a  pressure  greater  than, 
say  15  pounds  per  square  inch.  By  such  method 


260 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


you  will  be  able  to  discharge  the  return  water 
through  a  Nason  trap  into  the  tank,  and  thence 
pump  it  from  the  tank  into  the  boiler;  or,  if  you  so 
desire,  you  may  dispense  with  the  tank  and  pump 
and  substitute  a  Kieley  or  Blessing  direct  return  trap 
and  discharge  the  water  directly  into  the  boiler 
automatically.] 


RETURNING    WATER    OP    CONDENSATION 

TO  A  BOILER. 

HARRY  B.  PEACOCK,  Hayes  City,  Kan.,  writes: 
"  I  inclose  a  sketch  of  a  high -pressure  boiler  to  heat 
a  mill.  It  is  proposed  to  connect  the  return  to  the 
sucti  m  pipe  that  connects  with  the  heater,  and  the 
heater  is  connected  to  a  tank  that  feeds  the  heater, 
and  from  there  to  the  pump.  I  told  them  that  it 
would  not  work,  but  if  tnev  took  the  return  direct  to 


OVERHEAD  STEAM  HEATING. 

M.  B.  &  Co.,  Detroit,  Mich.,  write: 

"Will  you  kindly  inform  us  in  your  next  issue  if 
there  is  a  patent  on  the  overhead  system  of  steam 
heating  ?  " 

[There  is  no  patent  on  simply  taking  the  steam 
main  to  the  top  of  a  building  and  feeding  downwards 
if  you  have  separate  steam  and  return  connections  on 
each  radiator. 

The  "Mills  Patent  System,"  that  many  seem  to 
think  covers  all  methods  of  steam  supply  from  over- 
head mains,  really  includes  only  the  use  of  a  descend- 
ing main,  answering  at  the  same  time  both  for  steam 
supply  and  for  return  water,  to  which  the  radiators 
are  connected  by  a  single  pipe  each  with  no  other 
connection.  This  is  a  single-pipe  system  as  far  as 
the  radiators  are  concerned,  but  of  course  there  has 


RETURNING   WATER    OF    CONDENSATION    TO    A   BOILER. 


the  boiler,  as  I  have  shown  in  sketch  with  dotted 
lines,  it  would  work  all  right.  I  would  like  your 
opinion." 

[If  high-pressure  steam  is  taken  from  the  boiler 
and  then  through  pipe  A  into  coil  B  and  through  the 
return  pipe  C  to  the  suction  pipe  D,  it  is  very  likely 
the  high-pressure  steam  will  blow  into  the  heater  H 
and  thence  into  the  water  tank.  If  the  pressure  in 
the  water  tank  is  greater  than  the  pressure  of  steam, 
then  it  appears  to  us  that  the  pressure  down  from  the 
tank  will  pass  through  the  heater  H,  through  the 
pipe  D  to  the  pipe  C,  and  pass  up  into  the  coil.  If 
there  are  check  valves  placed  in  the  pipe  D  and  the 
pipe  C,  all  this,  however,  may  be  prevented;  when 
the  water  from  the  coil  will  pass  into  the  pump  and 
be  forced  into  the  boiler  along  with  the  water  from 
the  heater.  The  plan  you  propose,  as  shown  by  the 
dotted  lines,  is  the  better  of  the  two  to  follow,  pro- 
vided the  pipes  of  the  heating  system  are  sufficiently 
large  in  diameter  to  get  a  circulation  by  gravitation; 
if  not,  some  other  method  of  forcing  the  water  back 
will  have  to  be  followed.] 


to  be  an  independent  rising  steam  main  to  supply 
steam  to  the  upper  end  of  the  descending  main  or 
mains,  and  its  only  effect  is  to  avoid  having  steam 
and  water  going  in  opposite  directions  in  the  same 
pipe.  If  by  "  overhead  system  "  our  correspondent 
simply  means  putting  coils  or  radiators  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  room  to  be  heated,  there  is  no  patent  on 
that.] 


BUTT  JOINTS  IN  MAIN  RETURN  PIPE 
BELOW  THE  WATER  LINE. 

J.  E.  L.,  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  writes  : 

"A  much-disputed  point  with  steamfitters  is  the 
question:  Does  it  make  any  difference  in  the  work- 
ing of  a  gravity  steam-heating  apparatus  if  the 
branch  returns  are  brought  into  the  main  return  pipe 
from  directly  opposite  directions,  connecting,  for  in- 
stance, the  two  main  branches  into  the  two  runs  of  a 
'  bull-head '  tee  and  the  outlet  of  this  tee  into  the 
boiler?  I  inclose  rough  sketch  to  illustrate  the 
point.  In  this  case  two-thirds  of  the  radiating  sur- 
face is  located  in  one  end  of  the  building  and  one- 
third  in  the  opposite  end.  Some  workmen  contend 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE, 


961 


that  if  connected  up  butt-joint,  as  in  A,  there  will  be 
trouble  about  the  return  in  the  smaller  end.  They 
claim  that  it  will  be  held  back,  to  a  certain  extent, 
by  the  greater  weight  or  volume  of  water  returning 
from  the  larger  amount  of  condensation,  and  should 
be  connected  as  at  B.  Others  say  it  makes  no  dif- 
ference whatever,  so  long  as  the  connections  are  be- 
low the  water  line,  and  all  the  pipes,  including  the 
steam  supply,  are  large  enough  and  are  properly  pro- 
portioned." 

[With  properly  proportioned  return  pipes  for  the 
service  required,  and  a  free  steamway  to  the  radia- 
tors, so  that  an  equal  steam  pressure  is  maintained 
on  top  of  the  water  in  the  vertical  return  legs,  there 
will  be  no  practical  difference  in  the  flow  of  water 
from  either  section  or  through  either  form  of  connec- 
tion. Under  those  conditions  that  section  which 
condenses  the  most  steam,  and  the  resultant  water 
of  which  cools  the  faster,  will  pass  the  most  water  to 
the  boiler.  The  water  which  retains  its  heat  is 
lighter  in  specific  gravity  than  the  colder  water,  and 
in  that  proportion  the  colder  and  heavier  water  will 
fall,  and  so  force  the  water  in  the  lower  pipes  towards 
the  boiler.  Should  one  section  have  a  free  steam 
head,  apd  the  steam  valves  on  the  other  section  be 
closed  so  as  not  to  deliver  the  volume  of  steam  which 
those  radiators  should  condense,  the  result  is  a  par- 
tial vacuum  in  those  radiators  and  the  holding  back 
of  their  return  waters.  Under  proper  conditions  the 


M/2'RETURr 


B 


2/2"  RETURN-1 

1 3"  RETURN 


A. 

s 

~5'  RETURN! 

BOIL.ELR 

.        «.  i 

other  section  would  then  cut  off  the  flow  from  the 
opposite  section,  even  though  it  be  much  colder  and 
heavier.  If  the  returns  from  one  section  are  of 
proper  size  and  from  the  other  insufficient,  all  other 
conditions  being  equal,  the  water  from  the  former 
will  take  precedence  in  this  same  proportion.] 


RADIATOR    AND    COIL    CONNECTIONS 

UNDER  THE  MILLS  SYSTEM. 
EDWARD  E.  MAGOVERN  writes  : 
"  In  reviewing  a  heating  apparatus  of  the   Mills 
overhead  single-pipe  class,  erected  in  a  large  office 
building    in    New   York   City,   the  writer  was  im- 
pressed with  the  method  of  connecting  radiators  and 
coils,  which,  though  customary,  is  to  his  mind  un- 


»s 
A 

IS. 

\ 

L 

r 

^                  r 

}   r 

^ 

I  !  L 

«=*> 

ttn 

j^i 

VAC<    \ 

J 

scientific  and  incorrect,  invariably  leading  to  defect- 
ive circulation,  and  consequently  to  lack  of  heat  in 
the  building.  It  is  his  purpose,  in  this  communica- 
tion, to  show  wherein  the  connections  were  improper 
and  to  suggest  the  remedy  to  be  applied  to  insure 
the  efficiency  of  the  apparatus. 

41  Referring  to  Fig.  i,  the  pipe,  i^-inch,  leading 
from  the  riser,  is  shown  at  A.  It  terminates  in  a  tee. 
From  the  outlet  of  the  latter  a  i  J^-inch  pipe  leads  to 
the  top  of  the  pipe  coil.  The  run  of  the  tee  is  made 
i^-inch  to  2^-inch,  and  from  the  latter  a  ^-inch 
pipe  is  run,  terminating  in  a  reducer  connected 
with  the  bottom  pipe  of  the  coil.  On  the  j^-inch 
pipe  an  air  valve,  connected  by  a  ^-inch  air  and 
drip  pipe  to  the  main  J^-inch  drip  pipe  running 
parallel  with  the  riser,  is  placed.  The  pipe  A, 
together  with  the  ^-inch  nipple,  is  given  pitch 
toward  the  riser,  to  facilitate  the  discharge  of  the 
condensed  steam.  The  theory  of  this  method  of 
connection  is  that  the  steam  from  the  riser,  via  pipe 
A,  rises,  driving  the  air  and  water  of  condensation 
ahead  of  it,  through  the  pipes  and  return  bends, 
until  the  air  valve  is  reached,  at  which  point  the  air 
is  discharged,  the  water  following  the  |^-inch  pipe, 
and  by  way  of  A  reaching  the  riser.  Wbat  really 
happens  is  this:  The  steam  enters  the  coil  by  both 
pipes,  the  i^-inch  and  the  ^"-inch,  the  entry 
through  the  latter  being  facilitated  by  the  air  valve, 
and  the  flow  in  both  directions  imprisons  air  in 
the  center  pipe  or  pipes,  thus  reducing  the  heating 
surface.  In  the  case  of  the  radiator,  Fig.  2,  it  will 
be  found  that  the  center  pipes  are  cold  for  the  same 
reason.  The  remedy  in  the  case  of  the  coil  is  to 
provide  but  one  connection,  say  of  i  j^-inch  pipe,  to 
be  attached  to  the  coil  in  place  of  the  present  ^-inch 
pipe.  Stop  off,  by  plug  or  cap,  the  present  connec- 
tion to  the  top  pipe,  and  attach  the  air  valve  thereto. 
With  the  radiator,  removing  the  %^-inch  pipe  and 
plugging  the  outlet  will  have  the  desired  effect." 


A  PUMP-GOVERNOR   HEATING  SYSTEM. 
C.  A.  F.,  of  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho,  writes: 

"A  new  hotel  now  building  in  this  place  requires 
a  system  of  heating  and  I  have  been  asked  for  infor- 
mation. My  experience  in  this  line  is  very  limited, 
therefore  apply  to  you  for  general  information. 

"  The  temperature  in  this  locality  during  winter 
months  is  variable,  falling  sometimes  down  to  30  de- 
grees below  zero  at  night;  rising  during  the  day  to 
20  degrees  or  more  above.  The  prevailing  winds 
occur  in  summer,  with  light  breeze  only  in  winter. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


The  hotel  will  have  three  stories  and  a  basement  to 
be  heated,  and  contains  about  141,000  cubic  feet  of 
air  to  be  tempered.  Walls  bric'c.  and  stone. 

"  Which  system  woiuu  yo  t.  recommend;  low 
pressure  steam  or  hot  wavt,\  r  If  steam,  direct  or 
or  indirect  radiation  ?  If  hot  water,  direct  or  indirect 
radiators  ?  What  plant  can  you  recommend  ?  I 
have  no  practical  knowledge  of  any." 

[Our  advice  would  be  to  use  steam  for  warming  a 
hotel,  ordinary  direct  radiation,  with  the  radiators  in 
the  rooms,  the  simplest  and  best  method.  The  press- 
ure can  be  anything  from  two  pounds  to  40  pounds, 
or  even  higher.  In  hotels  the  cooking  is  often  done 
by  steam,  and  then  you  may  want  a  laundry  engine 
or  electric  light,  for  which  you  will  require  steam. 
Let  the  apparatus  be  a  gravity  return  one  if  possible, 
and  if  not,  make  it  a  pump-governor  system;  that  is, 
catch  the  returns  (condensation)  in  a  tank  and  pump 
them  into  the  boiler  by  an  automatically  controlled 
pump,  as  shown  in  the  annexed  cut. 


ToJZngrine 


PUMP-GOVERNOR    SYSTEM. 

Perhaps  this  system  is  the  best  for  those  who  are 
not  experts  to  have  to  construct.  There  is  less 
chance  of  failure.  In  the  cut  the  following  notation 
is  used: 

S— Steam  pipe  (main). 

R — Return  pipe  (main). 

//"—Heaters  (any  kind). 

T'— Tank  to  condensation. 

G — Governor  (float  to  operate  pump). 

/'—Pump. 

Any  good  horizontal  boiler  will  do  for  steam,  and 
there  are  also  many  types  of  water-tube  and  cast-iron 
boilers  now  used  for  heating. 

One  square  foot  of  heating  surface  to  each  30  cubic 
feet  of  a  span  will  do  for  your  climate,  with  a  press- 
ure of  about  10  pounds  per  square  inch.  The  eleva- 
tion will  affect  the  temperature  of  the  steam,  but  not 
enough  to  be  appreciable,  as  long  as  you  have  a 
range,  say,  from  10  to  40  pounds.  In  cold  weather, 
or  at  night,  run  the  pressure  up.  If  this  is  not  ample 
enough,  write  again.] 


A  BY-PASS  AROUND  A  STEAM  METER. 
E.  E.  MAGOVERN,  M.  E.,  consulting- engineer,  for- 
merly in  the  employ  of  the  New  York  Steam  Com- 
pany, sends  the  accompanying  sketch  of  a  by-pass 
around  a  steam  meter,  and  says  : 

"  This  '  curiosity  of  crime '  was  recalled  by  seeing 
in  a  recent  issue  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  the 
by-pass  through  a  steam  trap.  It  really  happened 
in  a  store  in  New  York  City.  There  was  a  small 
engine,  about  five  horse-power,  doing  very  little 
work;  about  one  horse-power  turned  a  coffee-mill, 
and  there  was  a  small  return-bend  coil,  both  con- 


A   BY-PASS   AROUND   A   STEAM    METER. 

nected  to  the  same  high-pressure  pipe.  The  drip 
from  this  coil  and  the  drip  on  the  inlet  of  the  meter 
were  both  connected  without  check  valves  to  the 
same  trap.  As  it  required  a  pressure  of  two  pounds 
per  square  inch  to  raise  the  piston  of  the  meter,  the 
result  was  that  the  steam  took  the  easiest  course — 
that  is,  through  the  drip  pipes,  up  the  return  of  the 
coil,  through  the  coil  to  the  engine,  and  the  meter  of 
course  failed  to  register,  though  a  counter  on  the 
engine  showed  that  the  engine  was  being  used." 

[We  are  obliged  to  Mr.  Magovern  for  his  "  curio." 
It  is  of  course  understood  that  the  by-pass  was  a 
blunder  of  the  steamfitter  who  made  the  connection 
for  the  Steam  Company,  and  was  not  due  to  any 
fraudulent  purpose  on  the  part  of  the  customer.  We 
do  not  know  how  the  defect  was  remedied,  but  a 
check  valve  at  A  would  have  been  a  simple  and  ob- 
vious remedy,  provided  the  coil  was  high  enough 
above  the  check,  as  the  difference  of  pressures  due 
to  the  resistance  of  the  meter  would  keep  nearly  5 
feet  of  water  always  above  the  valve,  if  one  were 
used.] 


GRAVITY  VERSUS  RETURN  TRAP  SYSTEMS 
OF  HEATING  BY  STEAM. 

B.  J.  H.,  of  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  writes: 

"  I  have  a  copy'of  '  Steam  Heating  for  Buildings,' 
and  would  like  the  following  information,  which  it 
does  not  contain: 

"  (i)  What  would  be  the  effect  of  having  the  steam 
mains  of  a  low-pressure  gravity  apparatus  about  2 
feet  above  the  water  line  ? 

"  (2)  How  much  advantage  in  coal  consumption  or 
better  working  of  apparatus  would  be  gained  by 
making  the  difference  5  feet  by  putting  in  a  return 
trap? 

"  (3)  Are  the  upright  multitubular  drop-tube  boilers 
manufactured  for  the  trade  ?  If  so,  where  can  they 
be  obtained  ?" 

[(i)  Unless  they  are  large  and  well  run  and  every 
detail  of  the  apparatus  carefully  carried  out,  water 
will  rise  into  the  mains  and  "  pounding"  will  be  the 
result. 

(2)  If  the  apparatus  works  well  as  a  gravity 
apparatus  there  is  no  advantage  in  putting  in  a  re- 
turn trap.  There  is  an  advantage  by  making  the 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


difference  of  level  5  feet,  if  the  apparatus  does  not 
work  properly  at  2  feet;  not  otherwise. 

(3)  We  know  of  no  one  who  makes  the  boilers  you 
refer  to.  The  author  of  "Steam  Heating  for  Build- 
ings" designed  them  and  used  them.  Any  person, 
however,  is  at  liberty  to  make  them.] 


WHERE  TO  PLACE  A  REDUCING  VALVE. 
STATIONARY  ENGINEER,  of  New  York  City,  writes: 
"  On  page  247  of  your  issue  of  April  6,  1889,  in  the 
reply  to  'Steamfitter'  you  say,  'Many  a  good  reducing 
valve  is  made  inoperative,  and  the  valve  blamed  for 
the  ignorance  of  the  man  who  put  it  in  the  wrong 
position.'  Your  reply  reminds  me  that  I  have  a  re- 
ducing pressure  valve  (i  ^  inches)  close  to  a  boiler  o , 
and  the  place  one  is  very  likely  to  place  it,  and  that 
from  this  valve  I  carry  steam  for  about  150  feet 
through  a  i  '/^-inch  pipe  to  the  point  where  it  enters 
the  steam-heating  main.  The  pressure  in  the  boiler 
is  50  pounds,  and  the  back  pressure  on  the  engine  is 
not  much  over  one  pound,  still  I  find  I  have  to  load 
my  back-pressure  valve  until  the  gauge  just  outside 
of  it  shows  from  10  to  15  pounds,  and  with  less  press- 
ure in  the  pipe  on  the  low  pressure  side  of  the  re- 
ducing valve  I  have  been  unable  to  get  the  live  steam 
into  the  exhaust-pipe  system. 


your  engine  is  variable  the  amount  of  exhaust  steam 
will  vary  also,  and  even  with  a  constant  load  the 
heating  apparatus  will  use  more  steam  on  a  cold 
morning  than  it  will  at  noon,  especially  if  the  day 
turns  out  fine. 

When  the  engine  is  not  doing  much  work  and 
therefore  not  furnishing  much  exhaust  steam,  there 
is  a  heavy  draft  on  the  regulating  valve  to  make  up 
the  deficiency,  and  consequently  the  frictional  resist- 
ance in  the  long  i^  inch  pipe  is  increased;  and  to 
get  the  necessary  amount  of  steam  through  it  the 
pressure  must  also  be  increased;  hence  the  15  pounds. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  load  on  the  engine  in- 
creases the  exhaust  steam  is  proportionally  increased 
and  there  is  less  draft  on  the  live  steam,  but  the  re- 
ducing  valve  being  set  for  15  pounds  will  not  close 
until  that  pressure  is  reached  at  a;  consequently,  an 
excess  of  live  steam  passes  into  the  heating  pipes  and 
the  excessive  back  pressure  becomes  apparent  on  the 
gauge  at  b. 

The  remedy  is  to  move  the  regulating  valve  from 
a  to  c,  taking  care  at  the  same  time  that  the  i^-inch 
pipe  has  a  pitch  backward  so  as  to  drain  into  the 
boiler,  or  is  provided  at  c  with  some  method  of  get- 


WHERE  TO   PLACE   A  REDUCING  VALVE. 


"  Your  reply,  however,  to  '  Steamfitter '  makes  the 
reason  for  the  higher  pressure  somewhat  clear  to  me. 
I  have  great  trouble,  however,  to  regulate  my  press- 
ure. At  times  I  am  forced  to  set  the  regulator  to  15 
pounds  to  get  the  desired  amount  of  extra  live  steam 
I  require  in  the  heating  apparatus,  but  in  an  hour 
later  I  may  find  that'the  backpressure  on  the  engine 
has  increased  to  five  or  six  pounds,  and  that  I  have 
to  regulate  the  reducing  valve  over  again,  and  often 
I  find  I  have  to  come  down  to  10  and  even  five  pounds 
before  I  reduce  the  back  pressure  to  its  proper  condi- 
tion. 

"Again,  I  find  just  the  reverse.  Everything  will 
work  properly  for  an  hour  or  so  at  eight  or  10  pounds 
at  the  low-pressure  side  of  the  regulating  valve,  and 
then  I  am  called  on  for  more  steam  and  I  find  I  have 
to  increase  the  pressure  to  15  pounds  again. 

"Now,  sir,  will  you  kindly  explain  the  cause  of  the 
fluctuations,  and  also  inform  me  how  to  connect  my 
regulating  valve  to  remedy  the  trouble?  The  ac- 
companying sketch  will  give  you  an  idea  of  my  ap- 
paratus." 

[The  fluctuation  of  pressure  near  your  regulating 
valve  at  a  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  use  of  live  steam 
in  your  heating  pipes  is  not  uniform.  If  the  load  on 


ting  rid  of  the  water  of  condensation  if  the  pitch  of 
the  pipe  is  towards  c. 

To  sum  up  briefly,  the  trouble  with  your  arrange- 
ment lies  in  the  fact  that  the  amount  of  pressure  lost 
by  the  steam  in  passing  through  the  pipe  a  c  is  a  vari- 
able quantity,  depending  on  the  rate  at  which  the 
steam  flows  and  that  you  cannot  by  keeping  a  uni- 
form pressure  at  a  obtain  the  desired  uniform  press- 
ure at  c  with  this  variable  resistance  in  between.] 


STEAM  RETURNS  NEAR  THE  WATER 

LEVEL. 

EDWARD  E.  MAGOVERN,  of  New  York,  writes  : 
"In  the  design  of  heating  systems  the  engineer, 
for  obvious  reasons,  gives  a  good  margin  between 
the  level  of  the  radiators  and  that  of  the  water  in  the 
boiler.  Then,  by  utilizing  this  margin,  giving  a 
good  pitch  ta  the  returns,  there  is  insured  a  good 
circulation  in  the  system.  It  will  happen  frequently, 


264 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


however,  that  the  margin  spoken  of  is  small,  and 
though  no  theoretical  difficulties  present  themselves, 
the  designer  fears,  on  close  work,  that  incompetent  or 
careless  workmen  may  cause  a  failure  in  circulation. 
"A  case  recently  came  to  light  in  the  writer's 
practice  that  possibly  possesses  sufficient  novelty  to 
warrant  publication.  At  the  building  in  question, 
owing  to  lack  of  head  room  and  the  impossibility  of 
lowering  the  boiler  for  fear  of  reaching  tide  water,  it 
was  necessary  to  run  the  steam  and  return  of  a  Mills 


see  if  by  chance  the  gates  had  become  detached 
from  the  steam,  and  a  flange  union  on  A  disconnected 
with  the  expectation  of  finding  an  unperforated 
gasket,  but  no  such  solution  of  the  difficulty  pre- 
sented itself.  On  personally  visiting  the  premises 
the  writer  had  the  felting  stripped  off  the  pipes  at 
the  point  of  the  more  recent  connections,  and  dis- 
covered a  2-inch  swing  check  valve  introduced  at  K 
by  the  fitter  for  some  unknown  reason.  The  differ- 
ence in  level  between  the  top  of  A  and  that  of  the 


STEAM    RETURNS   NEAR  THE   WATER   LEVEL. 


overhead  system  of  heating  at  a  very  slight  differ- 
ence in  level.  The  figure  shows  the  system,  the 
main  pipe  being  3  and  the  return  2-inch.  The 
two  radiators,  whose  connections  are  shown  at  R  R, 
were  originally  fed  from  a  continuation  of  the  3-inch 
main  A.  As  the  portion  of  the  building  heated  by 
R  R  was  to  be  used  separately,  and  during  longer 
hours  than  the  remainder  of  the  premises,  there  was, 
after  the  job  had  been  originally  completed,  a  sepa- 
rate connection  C,  of  ij^-inch  pipe,  dripped  at  D 
with  i^-inch;  both  connections  run  outside  the 
valves  E  F.  The  remainder  of  the  system  will 
readily  be  understood  from  the  figure;  the  ends  of 
the  downfalls  being  collected  at  the  second  story  in  a 
2-inch  pipe,  and  dropped  by  G  into  the  main  return 
in  the  cellar  H,  which  was  also  2-inch  pipe.  The 
object  of  collecting  the  returns  at  the  second  story 
was  to  do  away  with  cutting  into  the  store  floor  as 
far  as  possible.  To  the  2-inch  return  was  also  con- 
nected the  drip  D  previously  spoken  of,  and  also  the 
drip  I  on  the  main  riser  J.  Prior  to  making  the  in- 
dependent connection  C,  the  job  was  tested  and 
found  to  circulate  perfectly.  At  the  request  of  the 
owner  a  fitter  was  detailed  to  make  the  independent 
connections  and  provided,  prior  to  commencing,  with 
a  rough  sketch  of  the  job.  On  receipt  of  information 
that  this  work  was  completed,  the  pipes  were  covered 
and  steam  raised.  It  was  then  found  that  the 
radiators  R  R  circulated  well,  but  those  in  the  re- 
mainder of  the  building  were  scarcely  heated.  A 
petcock  placed  on  the  top  of  the  riser  J  showed  a 
mere  vapor,  though  the  gauge  on  the  boiler  read 
three  pounds.  The  gate  valve  E  was  examined,  to 


water  in  the  boiler  was  but  about  6  inches,  giving 
less  than  a  quarter  of  a  pound  effective  pressure,  in 
the  event  of  the  3-inch  pipe  being  water-sealed,  to 
move  the  check.  Upon  removing  the  check  circula- 
tion was  perfectly  established,  showing  that  the  sys- 
tem had  at  some  time  been  flooded  by  the  water- 
feeder,  and  the  resistance  of  the  swing  check  was 
sufficient  to  hold  the  water  back,  thus  sealing  the  3- 
inch  pipe." 


HEATING  COILS  IN  A  STEAM  BOILER 
FIREBOX. 

MARSHALL,  Pike  County.  Pa.,  writes: 

'•In  a  recent  issue  your  answer  to  'Selim'  notes 
conditions  and  requirements  which  nearly  cor- 
respond with  our  own.  Some  time  ago  our  business 
required  hot  water  upon  several  floors.  We  use 
water  power,  but  heat  by  low-pressure  steam. 
There  is  no  plumbing  shop  in  our  immediate  vicinity, 
but  as  the  man  in  charge  of  our  heating  and  the  gas 
machine  for  lighting  is  an  excellent  mechanic,  and 
has  served  his  time  at  the  plumbing  trade,  the  job 
was  turned  over  to  him.  He  set  up  a  galvanized-iron 
tank,  connecting  it  up  in  substantially  the  manner 
you  suggested  in  the  article  referred  to.  We  had  an 
abundance  of  hot  water  during  the  heating  season 
and  without  extra  cost.  He  now  proposes  to  arrange 
so  that  we  may  have  our  water  heated  during  the 
summer  months  by  burning  gas  from  our  gas  ma- 
chine. Upon  the  chance  that  it  may  be  interesting 
to  others  similarly  situated,  and  in  the  belief  that  it 
has  merit,  I  send  you  a  sketch  made  by  the  designer 
of  our  heating  coil  under  the  steam  boiler.  Can  you 
give  us  any  pointers  on  this  job  ?  " 

[We  are  able  to  take  advantage  of  our  correspond- 
ent's sketch  to  illustrate  also  the  answer  to  an  inquiry 


.   :  • 


STEAM  AND  HO  T-  WA  TER  HBA  TING  PR  A  CTICE. 


from  Muncie,  Ind.,  upon  the  same  subject.  In  the 
accompanying  drawing  A  is  a  cold-water  pipe  from 
the  roof  tank  with  a  shut-off  cock  for  use  in  case  of 
leakage  or  repairs;  B,  the  conduction  tube  inside  the 
tank;  C,  a  cold-water  pipe  from  the  tank  to  the  heat- 
ing coil;  D,  the  heating  coils  against  the  fire  wall  H 
under  the  boiler;  E,  hot-water  pipe  from  heating  coil 
to  tank;  F,  hot- water  distribution  to  the  required 
points;  G,  sediment  cock  and  pipe  for  blowing  off 
tank  and  coils.  As  no  figures  are  given  we  advise 
the  use  of  a  large  tank  with  heating  coils  not  less 
than  i  Yz  inches  inside  diameter,  as  the  sizes  ordinarily 
used  in  connections  for  domestic  use  might  not  stay 
primed  when  brought  into  contact  with  the  greater 
heat  of  a  boiler  firebox.  The  larger  tank  supply 
acts  as  an  absorbent  of  heat  and  tends  to  prevent 
foaming  or  '  'kicking  back"  in  the  heating  coils.  Care 
should  be  taken  to  lay  C  as  far  below  the  entrance  to 
the  heating  coils  as  possible.  The  lower  heating  pipe 
should  enter  the  firebox  and  continue  at  a  good  in- 
cline. All  pipes  should  be  inclined  so  that  the  cur- 
rent of  water  will  be  continuously  upward  until  it 
enters  the  tank.  If  this  is  not  observed  trouble  will 
ensue.  The  end  of  each  heating  coil  should  be  con- 
nected up  on  the  outside  of  the  boiler  brickwork  by 
a  right  and  left  coupling  or  flange  joint  for  conven- 


ience in  repairing  or  the  removal  of  heating  coils. 
Unions  should  in  no  case  be  used  for  this  work. 
Heavy  malleable  fittings  should  be  used  on  inside 
work.] 


PUMP  RETURN  SYSTEM  OP  STEAM 

HEATING. 
ARCHITECT,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  writes: 

"The  accompanying  plan  is  meant  to  show  the 
arrangement  of  buildings  to  be  heated  by  the  low- 
pressure  gravity  system  of  steam  heating.  The  pipes 
are  all  supposed  to  have  proper  pitch  for  drainage 
and  to  be  of  proper  sizes,  and  the  water  of  condensa- 
tion will  run  back  to  tank,  from  which  it  will  be 
pumped  into  the  boiler.  If  the  boiler-house  had  been 
below  the  lowest  building,  of  course  there  would  be 
no  occasion  for  a  pump. 

"(i)  Will  both  buildings  receive  their  supply  of  steam 
with  the  same  facility  and  of  equal  dryness?  (2)  Will 
it  be  necessary  to  have  any  check  or  other  valves  ex- 
cept such  as  would  be  necessary  to  shut  off  steam, 
and  will  any  traps  be  required?  (3)  Will  it  be 
possible,  under  any  circumstances,  to  produce  a 
vacuum  by  which  the  water  can  be  drawn  out  of  the 
boiler  into  the  tank  ?  (4)  The  radiators  in  the  build- 
ing on  the  low  level  will  be  about  10  feet  below  the 
water  line  in  the  boilers." 

[The  accompanying  sketch  explains  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  buildings  in  question.  A  is  the  boiler- 
house;  B,  building  with  radiators  below  boilers;  C, 
building  above  grade  of  boiler-house;  T,  tank  low 
enough  for  water  to  return  by  gravity  from  lowest 
radiators;  from  this  the  water  is  to  be  pumped  back  to 
the  boilers;  S  and  S'  are  steam  and  return  mains 
respectively. 

(1)  If  the  steam  and  return  pipes  are  sufficiently 
large  and  properly  run  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in 
having  equal  dryness  and  nearly  equal  pressures  at 
all  parts  of  the  apparatus.     Absolutely  equal  press- 
ures cannot  be  obtained  through  any  system  of  pip- 
ing, but  differences  below  the  limit  of  one  pound  can 
be  secured. 

(2)  If  your  tank  is  a  closed  one,  and  your  pipes  are 
large  enough,  no  checks  or  traps  will  be  necessary, 
and  a  pump  and  pump  governor  will  take  water  from 
the  tank  to  the  boilers.    If  the  tank  is  an  open  one 
traps  will  be  required  on  each  main  return. 

(3)  If  the  pump  is  properly  connected  with  the 
boilers  no  vacuum  in  the  tank  can  draw  the  water 
from  the  boilers,  any  more  than  the  pressure  within 


PUMP   RETURN   SYSTEM  OF   STEAM   HEATING. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


the  boiler  can  drive  the  water  out  through  the  check 
valves  and  pump. 

(4)  It  matters  not  how  much  the  radiators  are 
below  the  water  line  of  boilers  in  a  system  such  as 
you  propose,  so  long  as  they  are  sufficiently  above 
the  tank  to  allow  the  water  to  run  to  the  same  by 
gravitation.] 


CONNECTING  STEAM  AND  RETURN  RISERS. 

STEAM  HEATER,  of  New  York  City,  writes: 

"  Do  you  consider  the  system  of  piping  shown  in 
the  inclosed  diagram  a  suitable  one  for  a  gravity 
system,  or  in  fact  for  any  system  of  steam  heating  ? 


ABOUT  CONNECTING  STEAM   AND   RETURN  RISERS. 


"It  is  in  use  in  a  large  building  in  this  city,  and 
though  it  works  reasonably  well,  I  claim  it  would 


work  better  if  the  connections  d  and  /  were  omitted, 
especially  the  top  connection  z'.'" 

[We  do  not  see  the  matter  in  the  same  light  that 
you  evidently  do.  The  connection  d  can  in  no  way 
interfere  with  the  circulation  of  the  steam  through 
the  radiators,  especially  since  it  connects  with  the 
return  below  the  water  line,  and  if  the  pipe  b  is  of 
considerable  length,  or  is  higher  at  j  than  at  k,  the 
relief  a?  is  an  absolute  necessity.  It  is  customary  also 
to  use  the  relief  e  to  take  care  of  the  water  that  falls 
down  the  liser,  and  if  k  b  j  were  not  too  long  or  had 
a  sufficient  pitch  toward  /',  it  would  answer  alone 
without  relief  d. 

Had  the  connection  k  b  j  been  above  the  main  in- 
stead of  below  it,  the  drip  d  would  of  course  have 
been  unnecessary,  as  the  water  in  the  connection 
could  then  either  fall  back  into  the  main  or  flow  on 
to  the  drip  e. 

With  regard  to  the  loop  at  the  top  of  the  rising 
lines  at  /  joining  the  steam  and  return  pipes,  there 
can  be  no  more  objection  to  it  than  there  could  be  to 
putting  another  radiator  at  that  point,  even  if  it  were 
kept  always  open.  You  have  marked  it  a  "  short 
circuit,"  but  we  desire  to  point  out  the  fact  that  it  is 
no  more  a  short  circuit  than  any  radiator  on  the  line. 
Suppose  you  removed  it  and  had  the  radiator  on  the 
sixth  floor  open,  would  not  that  radiator  bear  the 
same  relation  to  the  radiator  on  the  floor  below  it 
that  the  loop  now  bears  to  the  radiator  on  the  sixth 
floor  ? 

The  loop  is  a  proper  connection  and  keeps  up  a 
circulation  in  the  line  when  every  radiator  is  shut  off, 
thus  keeping  the  pipes  warm  and  ready  to  supply 
steam  promptly  when  needed.  It  also  helps  to  pre- 
vent the  "water  hammer,"  by  keeping  the  water 
down  in  the  return  riser,  to  near  the  water  line, 
whether  the  radiators  are  shut  off  or  not. 

Of  course  we  advise  taking  the  riser  connection  b 
from  the  top  of  the  main  steam  pipe  when  possible. 
Still,  the  apparatus,  as  shown,  indicates  a  thorough 
appreciation  of  the  subject  by  the  fitter  who  put  it 
up,  and  in  a  case  where  the  tee  in  the  main  "  looks 
down  "  with  any  considerable  length  of  pipe  between 
the  main  and  the  riser,  no  better  arrangement  could 
be  used. 

We  think  you  may  have  been  a  little  confused  by 
trying  to  apply  some  hot- water  ideas  to  a  steam  sys- 
tem, for  it  should  never  be  forgotten  that  the  prin- 
ciples governing  the  circulation  of  steam  and  hot 
water  are  radically  different,  and  that  any  attempt  to 
apply  the  rules  of  one  to  the  practice  of  the  other 
will  only  result  in  confusion  and  trouble.  With  hot 
water,  a  fluid  of  practically  unvariable  volume  has  to 
be  moved  bodily  through  the  pipes  by  difference  of 
pressure,  and  it  will  take  advantage  of  every  oppor- 
tunity to  "short  circuit"  and  escape  the  resistance 
of  longer  travel;  with  steam,  however,  when  used  for 
heating  purposes,  there  is  practically  no  such  thing 
as  a  short  circuit. "  When  steam  is  once  admitted  to 
the  pipes  of  a  heating  system  it,  like  the  water,  is 
impelled  by  difference  of  pressure,  but  its  condensa- 
tion on  a  cold  surface  practically  destroys  the  press- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


267 


ure,  or  a  portion  of  it,  in  that  direction,  so  that  a 
continual  flow  of  steam  from  all  directions  to  the 
condensing  surface  will  commence  and  continue  as 
long  as  the  surface  continues  to  condense  it.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  provide  for  the  escape  of  air  and 


the  removal  of  condensed  water,  and  the  circulation 
will  take  care  of  itself  so  long  as  the  steam  can  reach 
the  cold  surface,  which,  in  a  heating  system,  is  the 
surface  of  the  radiator  that,  though  warmer  than  the 
outside  air,  is  colder  than  the  steam  within.] 


EXPANSION   OF   PIPING. 


PIPE  SUPPORTS  AND  CONNECTION   FOR  A 
BOILER. 

JOHN  C.  CARLTON,  New  York  writes: 

"  In  conversation  with  a  brother  steamfitter  a  few 
days  ago  he  told  me  he  had  seen  an  account  of  some 
improperly  supported  pipes,  and  he  sketched  them 
out  as  shown. 

"He  did  not  say  that  the  connection  itself  was  dan- 
gerous, but  simply  the  manner  of  supporting  the 
pipe,  claiming  that  \yhen  the  boiler  expanded  it 
raised  the  main  off  its  bearings  and  that  all  the 
weight  came  on  the  safety  valve  connection,  and  that 
in  some  cases  the  pipe  was  broken  off.  If  this  is  the 


PIPE  SUPPORTS   AND   CONNECTION   FOR   BOILER. 

case  will  you  kindly  show  me  how  they  should  be 
supported  ?  The  boiler  is  what  is  known  to  steam- 
fitters  as  the  porcupine  boiler." 

[While  we  cannot  recall  any  case  where  breakage 
of  a  steam  pipe  or  connection  occurred  in  the  manner 
stated,  it  is  possible  for  an  accident  of  this  kind  to 
occur,  where  the  pipe  P  is  short  and  of  large  size, 
making  a  comparatively  rigid  connection.  The  ver- 
tical expansion  would  be  about  three- fourths  inch, 
and  with  even  a  moderately  long  pipe  there  would  be 
sufficient  spring  to  avoid  trouble.  There  are  cases 
where  a  spring  bend  might  be  put  in  the  pipe  P  to 
good  advantage.  This  would  allow  for  expansion  in 
both  vertical  and  horizontal  directions,  and  thus 
avoid  also  any  trouble  which  might  be  experienced 
from  the  closeness  of  the  wall  at  the  right  to  the 
downward  bend  of  the  pipe.] 


EXPANSION  OF  STEAM  PIPES. 

M.  B.,  Providence,  R.  I.,  writes: 

"  Will  you  inform  me  how  much  allowance  to  make 
for  the  expansion  of  pipes  under  steam  pressure  ? " 

[W.  J.  Baldwin  in  his  book  on  "Steam  Heating 
for  Buildings"  says  that  wrought-iron  pipe  expands 
isoWir  °f  its  length  for  each  degree  Fahrenheit  to 
which  it  may  be  subjected  within  the  limits  used  by 
the  steamfitter.  The  length  of  pipe  in  inches,  there- 
fore, multiplied  by  the  number  of  degrees  to  which 
it  is  heated  and  divided  by  150,000  will  give  the  ex- 
pansion, for  that  difference  in  temperature,  in  inches, 
or  fractions  of  an  inch.  For  example :  Find  what 
the  length  of  a  loo-foot  line  of  pipe  will  be  when 
heated  to  the  temperature  of  ico  pounds  steam 
pressure,  its  initial  temperature  being  zero.  Apply- 


ing the  above  rule  we  have 


loo  X  12  X  338° 


=  2.7 


150,000 

inches,  338  degrees  being  the  temperature  correspond- 
ing to  100  pounds  pressure. 

Cast  iron  expands  T^O^  °f  its  length  for  each 
degree  Fahrenheit  within  ordinary  limits.] 


K.  G.,  New  York,  asks  why  steamfitters  do  not 
use  more  expansion  joints  in  their  work  than  they  do. 
He  says  he  finds  large  pipes,  of  100  feet  in  length  or 
more,  put  up  without  any  provision  for  the  expansion, 
which  he  thinks  is  "considerable." 

[The  expansion  of  100  feet  of  wrought-iron  pipe 
from  a  temperature  of  32°  Fahr.  to  the  temperature 
of  steam  at  one  pound  pressure  is  about  1.47  inches; 
at  25  pounds  pressure,  i.78inches;  at  50  pounds,  2.12; 
and  at  100  pounds,  2.45.  If  a  pipe  under  such  cir- 
cumstances has  a  single  right  angle  turn  in  it  or  at 
its  end,  the  movement  towards  the  corner  (where  it 
should  not  be  fastened)  compensates  and  answers 
for  an  expansion  joint.  With  pipe  of  i  inch  in  diam- 
eter a  turn  of  5  feet  is  ample  to  provide  for  the  move- 
ment wi  thout  danger  of  breaking.  As  the  pipe  grows 
larger  in  diameter  it  will  require  a  longer  spring 
piece;  so  that  a  6-inch  pipe  would  require  a  spring 
piece  of  about  20  feet.] 


268 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


TROUBLE  WITH  APPARATUS. 


DEFECTIVE  CIRCULATION  IN  A  STEAM- 
HEATING  JOB. 

H.  B.  PEACOCK,  Easton,  Pa.,  writes: 

"  I  send  a  draught  of  a  steam  job  that  will  not  re- 
turn in  the  boilers,  and  I  made  a  draught  of  a  box 
with  a  float  in  the  return  in  the  box.  The  float  rises 
and  the  pump  draws  the  condensed  water  from  it, 
and  when  it  is  very  near  empty  it  shuts  it  off  till  it 
fills  again.  Don't  you  think  this  way  will  work,  or 
what  would  you  advise  me  to  do  ?  " 

[As  regards  the  job  about  which  our  correspondent 
asks,  its  whole  trouble  lies  in  the  descending  loop  of 
the  steam  pipe,  into  which  all  the  water  that  is  car- 
ried over  from  the  boiler,  or  that  may  condense  be- 
tween the  boiler  and  the  coil,  will  inevitably  fall,  and 
if  not  drawn  off  as  fast  as  it  comes  will,  in  a  very  short 
time,  stop  the  flow  of  the  steam. 

Our  correspondent's  sketch  indicates  much  greater 
difference  in  size  between  the  steam  and  return 
pipes  than  is  shown  in  our  illustration,  and  there  may 
be  other  difficulties  not  hinted  at,  but  as  far  as  can  be 
judged  from  the  sketch,  all  that  is  necessary  to  secure 
proper  circulation  is  to  have  the  steam  pipe  kept  free 
from  water.  This  is  apparently  intended  to  be  pro- 
vided for  by  the  •'  cock  for  drain."  If  this  is  left 
open  all  the  time,  and  wide  enough  to  make  sure  of 
carrying  off  all  the  condensed  water,  the  job  would 
probably  work,  but  the  waste  of  steam  would  be 
great.  If  only  opened  at  intervals  the  job  will  cir- 
culate but  a  few  minutes  after  it  is  closed.  If  left 
open,  and  a  trap  put  on  to  take  care  of  the  condensed 
water  and  keep  the  steam  from  blowing  through, 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  job  should  not  work,  but 
some  hot  water  would  be  wasted.  Our  correspondent 
has  shown  the  drain  cock  and  return  pipe  in  such  a 
position  that  it  is  not  certain  that  there  is  no  connec- 
tion between  them.  Such  a  connection,  if  it  exists, 
would  of  course  be  worse  than  useless,  as  the  water 
from  the  return  would  flood  the  steam  pipe  and  stop 
circulation  at  once 


The  proposed  remedy  of  discharging  the  return 
into  a  tank,  and  then  pumping  it  back  into  the  boiler 
is  not  necessary,  nor  would  it  meet  the  difficulty  if 
low  pressure  is  used,  and  even  it  the  pressure  were 
high  enough  to  make  it  work  it  would  be  very  noisy 
from  the  water  hammer  in  the  pipes.  If  the  steam 
can  get  to  the  coil  the  condensed  water  will  have  no 
difficulty  in  getting  back  to  the  boiler,  provided  the 
coil  is  high  enough  and  the  return  pipe  of  sufficient 
size  and  unobstructed.  We  should  prefer  a  stop 
valve  instead  of  the  check  near  the  boiler,  as  being 
less  of  an  obstruction  and  more  reliable.  Even  if 
pumping  from  a  tank  were  likely  to  remove  the, 
difficulty,  we  should  not  think  of  controlling  the  sue- 
tion  to  the  pump  by  means  of  a  ball  cock,  for  when  it 
closed  the  pump  would  lose  its  suction,  and  pound 
away  until  steam  was  shut  off.  If  such  an  arrange- 
ment were  used  at  all  the  float  should  control  the 
throttle  valve  on  the  steam  pipe  supplying  the  pump. 
If  the  tank  were  made  tight  so  that  the  pump  could 
get  a  suction  on  the  return  pipe,  it  might  be  able  to 
pull  steam,  water  and  all  around  through  the  coil  if 
the  latter  was  not  too  high  and  the  boiler  pressure 
was  sufficient,  but,  as  in  the  previous  case,  the  water 
hammer  would  give  much  trouble. 

The  only  thing  we  can  advise,  therefore,  is  to  trap 
the  water  out  of  the  lowest  part  of  the  steam  pipe 
and  waste  it  into  the  drain,  and  if  the  boiler  does  not 
foam  and  the  steam  pipe  is  properly  protected  the 
loss  will  not  be  very  great.] 


IMPROPER  ARRANGEMENT  OF  DRIP  PIPES 
IN  A  HEATING  AND  POWER  SYSTEM. 

OBSERVER,  New  York,  writes: 

"It  is  of  course  known  to  many  of  our  readers 
that  all  steam  pipes  running  long  distances,  especially 
where  pockets  or  drips  occur,  should  be  fitted  with 
drip  pipes.  Whether  to  lead  these  several  drips  to 
one  trap,  or  to  give  each  a  separate  trap  is  supposed 


DEFECTIVE  CIRCULATION   IN   A   STEAM-HEATINO  JOB. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


toy  some  to  be  entirely  dependent  on  the  position  of 
such  drips. 

"  I  have  seen  drips  arranged  in  the  manner  shown 
in  the  accompanying  sketch,  in  which  the  faultiness 
of  the  plan  is  at  one  apparent.  In 
this  sketch  D  represents  the  discharge 
pipe  from  the  trap  T;  H  is  a  drip 
from  a  low-pressure  steam-heating 
system;  and  S  is  a  drip  from  a  high- 
pressure  power  system.  It  is  readily 
seen  that  steam  will  circulate  from 
the  high-pressure  or  power  system 
into  the  heating  system  by  this 
method,  and  that  when  either  system  is  shut  off,  it  is 
fed  by  the  other.  Serious  accidents  may  occur  from 
this  arrangement  of  drips.  It  may  be  thought  that 
the  introduction  of  check  valves  in  both  drip  pipes 
would  be  a  remedy,  but  it  is  well  to  discourage  their 
use,  since  check  valves  are  not  always,  in  fact  are 
rarely,  tight.  It  is  generally  best  to  locate  the  trap 
close  to  the  drip  and  to  allow  one  trap  for  each  drip 
when  there  are  both  heating  and  power  systems  in  a 
building.  If  there  be  only  one  system,  two  or  more 
drips  may  be  connected,  to  the  same  trap. 

"The  practice  illustrated  in  the  sketch  has  fre- 
quently given  rise  to  complaints  of  inefficiency  of 
regulating  valves,  when,  in  reality,  the  latter  are 
trying  to  do  their  proper  work,  but  are  foiled  by- 
having  a  by-passed  steam  supply  through  the  drips." 

[The  above  of  course  shows  a  faulty  arrangement, 
as  it  is  evident  the  low-pressure  system  cannot  open 
its  check  valve  against  the  greater  pressure  in  the 
other  pipe.  It  is  often  advantageous  to  allow  the 
trap  from  a  high-pressure  system  to  discharge  into  a 
system  of  a  much  lower  pressure.  In  this  case  some 
of  the  water  of  condensation  of  the  high-pressure 
system  flies  into  steam  again,  simply  by  the  reduction 
of  pressure,  and  becomes  utilized  in  the  low  system, 
the  water  again  running  off  through  the  low-pressure 
trap.  In  the  same  way  a  high-pressure  system  trap 
may  discharge  into  a  pump-governor  system  and  the 
escape  steam  and  water  be  thus  saved.] 


AN   ELEVATED   RETURN    AND   WATER 
LEVEL. 

S.  F.  C.  writes: 

• '  Last  fall  I  had  occasion  to  change  a  steam-heat- 
ing  job.  The  returns  were  all  against  the  outer  walls 
and  it  was  desired  to  assemble  them  in  a  passageway 
•on  the  first  floor  and  to  keep  them  overhead.  The 
boiler  was  in  the  basement.  It  was  considered  ad- 
visable to  keep  the  returns  wet  as  the  job  was  an  old 
and  noisy  one.  This  was  accomplished  by  running 
the  main  return  A  as  shown  and  bringing  the  lateral 
returns  B  into  it.  At  the  end  next  the  boiler,  the 
syphon  D  was  formed,  giving  the  water  level  C  as 
shown  by  the  dotted  lines.  To  prevent  the  longer 


leg  of  this  syphon  from  drawing  the  water  from  the 
upper  level  and  so  breaking  the  seals  of  B  B,  and  to 
prevent  the  accumulation  of  air  or  steam  at  the  top 
of  D,  the  pipe  E  was  connected  to  the  main  steam 
pipe  F  to  act  as  an  equalizer  or  escape  pipe.  Arrange- 
ment was  provided  at  G  for  emptying  the  return  to 
the  sewer.  The  steam  pressure  at  times  reached  10 
pounds.  The  distance  from  F  to  the  lowest  point  of 
A  was  32  inches.  The  job  Las  worked  smoothly  the 
entire  winter." 


TROUBLE  WITH  A  STEAM-HEATING 

PLANT. 
GUY  TILDEN,  architect,  of  Canton,  O.,  writes: 

"  I  inclose  you  herewith  a  blue-print  showing  the 
arrangement  of  the  artificial  water  line  of  a  steam - 
heating  job  in  this  city,  which  is  giving  some  trouble. 
The  job  contains  about  2,000  feet  of  direct  radiation, 
is  a  two-pipe  job,  with  separate  return  from  each 


^1 
D 

s 

2"  . 

*S: 

B 

TL  OOK 

\i 

Pn 

T 

5" 


radiator  which  connects  with  the  main  return.  There 
are  straightway  stop  valves  in  the  main  supply  and 
main  return,  but  no  check  valve  in  the  return. 

"  The  trouble  is  that  the  water  syphons  out  of  the 
returns  with  considerable  force,  which  takes  about 
half  a  minute,  and  then  everything  is  quiet  for  15  or 
20  minutes,  then  it  will  syphon  again,  finishing  with 
snapping,  cracking,  and  a  little  pounding,  then  all  is 
quiet  again. 

"  The  2-inch  pipe  D  we  had  on  first,  and,  thinking 
that  this  choked  when  syphoning  began,  I  had  the 
i  yz  inch  pipe  E  put  on.  This  helped  it  some,  but 
only  a  little.  Then  I  had  the  pipe  E  disconnected 
from  D,  and  increased  to  2  inches  and  run  direct  to 
the  boiler.  This  helped  still  more.  I  also  had  a  i  j£- 
inch  pipe  connected  with  the  return  at  F  and  run 
direct  to  the  boiler,  but  this  did  no  good  at  all.  I 
also  had  a  J^-inch  pipe  and  stop  valve  connected  at 
A,  a  compression  gauge  cock  at  B,  and  a  check  valve 
at  C,  and  found  that  when  syphonage  occurred  with 
eight  pounds  pressure  on  the  boiler  the  check  would 
momentarily  open,  and  if  we  opened  the  gauge  cock 
B  water  and  steam,  principally  water,  would  flow 
through  at  a  great  rate." 

[We  have  known  of  trouble  similar  to  yours  in  an 
apparatus  arranged  with  an  artificial  water  line. 
The  cause  of  it  was  never  satisfactorily  explained, 
but  it  was  remedied  by  using  a  swing  check  valve 


270 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


and  stop  valve  in  the  pipe  D  as  close  to  the  top  of  the 
syphon  as  it  was  possible  to  place  it.  The  check 
valve,  of  course,  should  open  from  the  main  steam 
pipe  toward  the  return  pipe.  The  stop  valve  was 
used  simply  to  vary  the  size  of  the  passage  through 
the  pipe  D,  and  is  probably  not  essential.  It,  how- 
ever, may  save  further  trouble  to  put  it  in  when  the 
alteration  is  made  for  the  check  valve.  We  believe 
that  the  engineer  in  charge  found  the  contrivance  to 
work  best  when  nearly  closed.  It  will  be  necessary 
to  alter  the  pipe  D  above  the  branch  E  so  as  to  use  a 
horizontal  check  valve.  This,  however,  is  a  matter 
of  detail  which  any  fitter  should  understand.] 


FAULTY  ARRANGEMENT    OF  CYLINDER 

DRIPS. 

HOUSE  HEATER,  of  Brooklyn,  writes  again: 
"  I  see  you  printed  what  I  sent  you  a  while  ago 
about  a  by-pass  through  a  steam  trap,  so  I  send  you 
a  sketch  of  another  almost  or  quite  as  bad,  which  I 
used  to  see  for  a  long  time  in  the  window  of  a  tea 
store  on  Fulton  Street,  where  they  had  a  small  steam 


FAULTY  ARRANGEMENT  OF   CYLINDER   DRIPS. 

engine  for  grinding  coffee.  I  suppose  the  man  that 
put  it  up  thought  he  would  be  smart  and  save  the 
price  of  one  valve  on  the  job;  but  it  would  be  inter- 
esting to  know  how  much  that  piece  of  economy  cost 
first  and  list  for  extra  steam  or  coal.  If  the  engine 
ran  all  the  time  I  suppose  the  extra  valve  would  have 
saved  its  cost  every  month." 


DECREASED    HEATING    POWER    OF    COILS. 

C.  F.  A.  writes: 

"Our  building  is  heated  by  steam.  The  piping 
has  been  in  about  10  years,  and  the  results  are  not 
so  good  as  in  the  earlier  years  of  the  use  of  the  sys- 
tem. Indeed,  during  the  past  winter  the  arrange- 
ment might  be  classed  as  a  failure.  The  heating  is 
mainly  by  coils,  placed  about  the  walls,  and  originally 
intended  to  heat  with  exhaust  steam,  which  entered 
the  coils  directly  after  passing  through  a  small 
heater.  Last  winter  we  used  live  steam,  and  the  re- 
sults were  not  as  good  as  formerly  secured  with  the 
exhaust  steam.  In  repairing  a  coil  I  noticed  a  pasty 
deposit  on  the  inside  of  the  pipes.  In  some  places  it 
was  quite  thick  and  hard.  Can  this  have  anything  to 
do  with  the  loss  of  heating  power  in  the  pipes? 
How  does  it  get  into  the  pipes?" 

[As  you  do  not  state  that  any  constructive  changes 
have  been  made  in  your  heating  system,  it  is  fair  to 


assume  that  you  have  located  the  trouble  in  the  in- 
ternal condition  of  the  pipes.  If  you  had  no  oil  ex- 
tractor in  service  while  using  exhaust  steam,  the  oil 
used  for  lubricating  your  engine  cylinder  was  un- 
doubtedly passed  in  an  atomized  state  with  the 
exhaust  steam,  and  was  precipitated  on  the  internal 
surfaces  of  the  heating  pipes.  Your  boiler  may  have 
toamed,  the  scum  passing  off  with  the  live  steam 
through  the  cylinder  on  the  principle  of  the  surface 
blow-off.  The  deposit  you  mention  could  have  been 
formed  from  either  of  these  causes,  and  this  precipi- 
tation continued  from  year  to  year  would  account  for 
the  decreased  heating  power  of  the  coil.] 


FAILURE  OF  BOILER  TO  HEAT  WATER. 
HUTCHENS  &  MONTGOMERY,  Huntsville,  Ala.,  write: 
"Will  you  please  publish  answer  to  the  following 
question,  if  you  can?  About  seven  years  ago,  Mr. 
Montgomery,  my  partner,  put  up  a  3o-gallon  iron 
boiler,  connected  with  kitchen  stove,  to  supply  hot 
water.  It  has  been  in  use,  giving  perfect  satisfaction, 
for  said  period  until  about  10  days  ago,  when  it  ceased 
to  heat  the  water.  We  disconnected  the  boiler,  found 
the  pipes  all  clear,  put  it  back;  it  still  refused  to  work. 
We  then  took  the  boiler  down;  found  the  vent  in  the 
pipe  in  the  boiler  rusted  up.  We  then  put  in  new 
pipe;  it  still  refused  to  work.  Another  firm  in  the 
city  went  down  and  told  the  party  the  work  was  not 
exactly  all  OK;  that  the  pipes  were  trapped  or 
sacked;  said  they  could  make  it  work.  Party  told 
them  to  go  ahead,  with  the  provision  that  when  it 
worked  he  would  pay.  They  disconnected  the  boiler 
put  in  new  pipes,  new  coil,  and  still  it  refused  tc 
obey.  They  then  said  it  was  in  the  boiler.  Party 
told  them  to  put  in  new  boiler,  which  they  proceeded 
to  do.  After  everything  was  made  new  and  fire  built 
ia  stove  until  it  was  as  hot  as  hades,  the  water  in  the 
boiler  still  refused  to  get  warm.  They  even  shut  the 
supply  to  the  boiler  off,  and  then  it  did  no  better. 
What  is  the  matter?  The  circulation  pipes  are  all 
open  and  free,  being  new  pipe,  but  what  keeps  the 
water  from  heating  has  puzzled  us  all." 

[For  seven  years  a  domestic  hot-water  plant  has 
worked  satisfactorily  and  then  failed  to  warm  the 
water.  In  the  endeavor  to  account  for  the  lack  of 
heat  everything  about  the  apparatus  seems  to  have 
been  examined,  and  much  of  it  renewed,  except  the 
water-back  in  the  stove.  We  would  now  advise  a 
thorough  examination  of  the  water-back,  and  if  it  is 
found  to  be  nearly  filled  with  lime  or  other  deposit,  we 
would  put  in  a  new  water-back.  Had  we  been  called 
in  in  the  first  instance,  we  would  have  commenced 
by  examining  the  water-back  before  we  did  anything 
else.  It  is  evident  that  should  the  heat  of  the  fire  be 
absorbed  by  the  water  in  the  back,  it  must  either  get 
vent  by  circulation  or  manifest  itself  by  noise  or  an 
explosion.  The  trouble  must  be  with  the  water- 
back. 

A  disarranged  grate  also  often  affects  the  heating 
of  the  water.] 


TROUBLE    WITH   A   STEAM-HEATING    AND 
POWER  PLANT. 

ALBERT  SPIES,  New  York  City,  writes: 
"  In  a  steam-heating  and  power  plant  it  was  found, 
at  the   beginning  of  cold  weather,  that  not  enough 
steam  could  be  obtained  to  keep  the  engine  up  to- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


271 


speed,  and  at  the  same  time  heat  the  building.  The 
conditions  are  shown  in  the  annexed  sketch,  in  which 
K  is  a  I2xi4-inch  high-speed  automatic  engine  driving 
an  Edison  dynamo,  two  elevators,  and  three  cooling 
fans  in  the  engine-room;  A  is  a  4-in.h  exhaust  pipe 
leading  to  the  roof;  from  it  branches  a  3-inch  pipe  B, 
connecting  with  the  heating  system  through  the 
rising  main  F,  which,  further  on,  runs  horizontally, 
and  is  designed  to  supply  the  system  with  exhaust 
steam  from  the  engine;  E  is  a  live-steam  supply  pipe 


to  the  heating  system,  the  intention  being  that,  if 
desired,  live  steam  could  be  used  for  heating,  either 
alone  or  in  conjunction  with  the  engine  exhaust.  If 
the  live  steam  alone  is  to  be  used  for  heating,  the 
stop  valve  P  is  opened  and  the  valve  G  is  closed,  and 
the  weight  is  taken  off  the  back-pressure  valve  (not 
shown)  in  the  main  exhaust  pipe  A.  If  exhaust 
steam  only  is  to  furnish  heat,  the  valve  P  is  closed, 
the  back-pressure  valve  is  weighted,  and  valve  G  is 
opened;  M  and  N  are  drip  pipes  from  the  pipes  B  and 
A  respectively,  connecting  with  a  Nason  trap  C. 
The  latter  discharges  into  the  sewer.  There  are 
several  other  traps  connected  to  the  heating  system 
returns.  J  is  a  stop  valve.  From  the  3  inch  main 
steam  supply  pipe  to  the  engine  the  2-inch  branch  E 
is  taken,  without  the  intervention  of  a  pressure- 
reducing  valve.  The  live  steam  admitted  to  the  heat- 
ing system  is  simply  throttled  down  by  means  of  a 
stop  valve. 

"With  no  steam,  either  live  or  exhaust,  in  the  heat- 
ing system,  the  engine  ran  satisfactorily.  With  the 
engine  exhausting  into  the  heating  system,  the  electric 
lights  fell  below  their  normal  brilliancy,  and  the  en- 
gine gave  signs  of  laboring.  With  only  live  steam 
turned  on  for  heating,  the  engine  slowed  down  and 
entirely  failed  to  do  its  work,  and  no  heat  could  be 
obtained  in  the  building. 

"Indicator  cards  taken  from  the  engine  showed, 
with  the  exhaust  steam  going  into  the  heating  system, 
a  back  pressure  of  something  like  loor  12  pounds  per 
square  inch. 

"  The  indicator  cards  showed  conclusively  that  the 
heating  system  was  not  originally  intended  for  ex- 
haust steam  use,  and  could  not  be  expected  to  give 
good  results  with  it.  Indicator  cards  taken  from  the 
engine  when  live  steam  was  turned  into  the  heating 
system  showed  a  reduction  in  the  initial  pressure  in 
the  engine  cylinder  of  fully  30  pounds.  Since  the 
engine  did  not  get  its  proper  steam  supply  and  since 
the  heating  system  also  could  not  be  warmed  up,  it 
was  concluded  that  there  was  an  unsuspected  outlet 
for  the  steam  somewhere  which,  if  stopped,  would 
remedy  matters.  The  correctness  of  this  was  proved 
by  the  existence  of  the  connections  to  the  trap  C,  the 
drips  M  and  N  coming  from  two  different  systems, 
represented  by  the  pipes  B  and  A,  in  one  of  which 
(B)  the  steam  pressure  was  quite  high,  while  in  the 
other  (A)  it  was  only  about  three  pounds  per  square 
inch.  With  the  valve  J  open,  as  it  was,  the  live 
steam  from  pipe  E  therefore  took  a  short  cut  (along 
the  line  of  least  resistance)  down  the  drip  pipe  M, 
through  valve  J  and  then  up  through  pipe  N  into  the 
main  exhaust  pipe  A.  Closing  the  valve  J  remedied 
the  difficulty,  but  left  the  pipes  E  and  B  without  an 


operative  drip  connection,  thus  allowing  water  of 
condensation  to  accumulate  in  them.  As  a  temporary 
expedient,  therefore,  the  connections  were  left  undis- 
turbed, and  the  valve  J  was  opened  several  times  a 
day  for  short  periods,  enabling  the  collected  water  to 
be  blown  out.  These  periods  of  opening  were  never 
long  enough  to  perceptibly  affect  the  running  of  the 
engine.  This  makeshift  was  permitted  only  because 
of  the  intention  to  completely  overhaul  the  heating 
system  in  the  coming  spring,  and  the  consequent  de- 
sire to  avoid  expense  at  the  present  time  for  patching 
up  an  unsatisfactory  job.  The  proper  thing  would 
have  been  to  provide  a  separate  trap  for  each  drip, 
M  and  N,  leaving  the  trap  C  as  at  present,  for  the 
drip  M,  and  carrying  the  drip  N  down,  as  shown  by 
the  dotted  line  D,  and  connecting  it  with  an  inde- 
pendent trap. 

"  Such  faulty  trap  connection,  as  is  here  shown, 
with  the  intention  of  making  one  trap  serve  two  sys- 
tems under  different  pressures,  is  found  every  now 
and  then,  and  will  always  lead  to  trouble.  It  is 
claimed  by  some  that  the  introduction  of  check  valves 
in  both  drip  pipes  would  be  a  remedy,  but  it  is  well 
to  discourage  such  practice,  as  it  will  rarely  give  full 
satisfaction." 

[We  should  indorse  the  proposition  to  trap  the 
pipes  M  and  N  which  will  help  to  operate  the  plant 
through  the  winter.  The  scheme  to  put  check  valves 
in  those  pipes  is  not  well-advised.  Such  valves  in 
pipes  arranged  as  shown  in  the  sketch  would  always 
be  open  or  shut  when  steam  pressure  was  turned  on.] 


NOISE  CAUSED  IN  THE  MAINS  OF  A  STEAM- 
HEATING  APPARATUS  "BY  AN  IMPROP- 
ERLY-ARRANGED RELIEF  PIPE. 

H.  B.  S.,  Grand  Forks,  Dak.,  writes: 

"  We  have  lately  warmed  a  separate  building  200 
feet  distant  from  our  mam  building.  The  pipes  in 
the  new  building  are  exceedingly  noisy  at  times, 
snapping  ana  pounding,  and  all  our  efforts  to  prevent 
it  have  thus  far  been  only  partially  successful.  We 
therefore  apply  for  advice  through  your  journal, 
sending  sketch  made  by  our  janitor,  and  hope  you 
will  be  able  to  suggest  a  remedy. 


"  A  shows  connecting  pipe,  r^"  inches  in  diameter, 
between  the  live-steam  pipe  B  and  the  return  pipe  C. 
This  connecting  pipe,  which  is  only  2  or  3  inches 
long,  is  open,  and  allows  the  live  steam  to  meet  the 
returning  water.  At  least  I  so  understand  it,  but  I 
am  not  engineer  enough  to  know  the  philosophy  of  it." 

[From  the  data  sent  we  are  able  to  give  you  very 
little  advice  in  the  matter  of  the  noisy  pipes.  In 
other  words,  we  are  unable  to  determine  whether  the 
trouble  is  a  defect  of  principle  or  of  detail.  We  are 
of  the  opinion,  however,  that  should  you  alter  the 
conection  A  in  such  a  manner  that  you  can  put  a 
check  valve  in  it  the  noise  may  stop.  If  the  tee  B  is 


272 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


too  close  to  the  tee  C  to  put  in  a  connection  with  a 
check  valve,  connect  B  to  some  other  part  of  the  re- 
turn pipe,  say  as  shown  by  the  extra  lines  in  Fig.  2. 
Use  a  swinging  check  valve  the  full  size  of  the  pipe 
(ij!£-inch),  and  have  it  open  from  the  main  into  the 
return  pipe. 

We  are  unable  to  see  the  good  accomplished  by  the 
pipe  H — the  main  steam  supply  from  boilers— enter- 
ing the  receiving  tank  as  shown,  and  the  steam 
thence  passing  from  the  tank  through  the  pipe  I  to 
the  coils,  etc.  We  rather  consider  it  a  disadvantage 
by  causing  unnecessary  friction  and  condensation. 
If  after  trying  the  check  valve  in  the  relief  main  the 
water  still  rises  or  remains  in  the  main  at  B,  connect 
the  pipe  H  to  I  by  the  direct  pipe  K  (dotted  lines), 
and  either  remove  the  pipes  H  and  I  or  put  valves  in 
them  so  they  may  be  closed.  If  you  do  the  latter, 
put  a  valve  also  in  K  as  shown.] 


FAILURE  IN  STEAM  HEATING  FROM  CARE- 
LESS MANAGEMENT. 

IN  a  steam-heating  system  put  into  a  building  in 
New  York  to  heat  a  large  store  on  the  ground  floor, 
much  annoyance  was  caused  by  the  failure  of  the 
radiators  to  heat  up,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
the  steam  supply  through  the  mains  was  abundant. 

An  examination  showed  the  pipe  arrangement  to 
be  substantially  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration. Steam  was  taken  from  the  street  main  of 
the  New  York  Steam  Company,  and  after  passing 
through  a  meter  was  carried  along  the  whole  length 
of  the  store  in  a  pipe  S,  from  which  supply  branches 
led  off  to  the  radiators  R.  The  return  main  P  led  to 
a  trap  designed  to  discharge  into  the  street  return. 
A  cross-connection  between  the  supply  and  return 
mains  S  and  P,  forming  practically  a  main  circuit, 
was  fitted  with  a  stop  valve,  as  indicated.  The 
object  of  this  cross-connection  is  not  quite  clear,  ex- 
cept that  it  probably  served  some  purpose  in  enabling 
the  system  to  more  readily  clear  itself  of  water 
when  turning  on  steam  in  the  morning,  the  stop 
valve  being  .open.  Through  ignorance,  however, 
this  valve  was  allowed  to  constantly  remain  wide 
open,  and,  with  sticking  of  the  trap,  which  permitted 


the  steam  to  blow  through  directly  to  the  street  re- 
turn pipe,  was  responsible  for  all  the  trouble.  The 
steam  naturally  took  the  easiest  course  through  the 
main  circuit,  and  the  radiators  received  little  or  no 
supply. 


TROUBLE  WITH   A  STEAM-HEATING   SYSTEM. 

Adjustment  of  the  trap  and  an  injunction  to  keep 
the  stop  valve  in  the  cross-connection  closed  proved 
an  effectual  remedy. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE, 


273 


PIPE   SIZES. 


A  STEAM-HEATING  PROBLEM. 

N.  K.  HOWARD,  Lincoln,  Neb.,  writes: 
"  I  send  you  a  sketch  of  steam  main  as  made  by  an 
architect.  The  cut  shows  a  one-pipe  system  com- 
posed of  four  mains  branching  off  from  one  large 
main,  mains  shown  by  solid  lines  to  have  a  gradual 
fall  and  return  into  one  main  return  pipe,  shown  by 
lines  broken  by  a  single  dot,  or  another  way  is  to 
have  a  water  seal  on  each  of  the  return  pipes  as 
marked  in  dotted  lines  near  the  main  return.  I  never 
saw  a  job  of  that  kind,  and  I  do  not  see  how  it  could 
work.  If  that  will  work  I  might  have  saved  a  great 
deal  of  pipe  on  some  jobs  I  have  worked  on.  This 
architect  says  he  has  had  20  years'  experience  in 
heating  and  plumbing,  and  in  New  York  at  that,  so 
I  presume  he  knows  what  he  is  talking  about.  All 


F/Otv 


I 

Return 


Pitch 


Pitch 


'fj-j 

A   i 


A 


Return 


Pitch 


of  these  mains  were  to  be  above  the  water  line  in  the 
boiler,  thereby  making  it  a  dry  return.  I  would  like 
to  know  if  it  would  work." 

[Such  an  apparatus  will  work  if  the  pipes  are  suffi- 
ciently large  in  diameter.  The  "seals,"  or  "traps," 
or  "dips"  A  A,  etc.,  are  simply  to  prevent  a  current 
of  steam  backward  through  the  return  pipe.  The 
apparatus  will  work,  even  without  them,  but  it  is 
found  in  practice  that  the  air  is  better  taken  care  of 
when  these  traps  are  in  the  return.  They  offer  very 
little  resistance.  Still,  they  offer  enough  to  produce 
"circulation,"  as  it  is  called. 

We  wish  to  lay  stress  on  the  question  of  the  diam- 
eter of  pipes  with  such  an  apparatus;  they  must  be 
larger  in  diameter  than  for  work  that  runs  below  the 
water  line.  The  balance  of  pressure  in  a  water-line 
apparatus  is  regulated  by  the  column  of  water  in  the 
return  pipe,  and  of  course  the  diameters  of  all  pipes 
must  be  so  great  that  any  difference  of  pressure  will 
not  be  great  enough  to  raise  water  into  the  steam 
mains. 

With  an  apparatus  as  shown  here,  the  diameter  of 
the  pipes  must  be  great  enough  to  prevent  water  from 


rising  into  the  horizontal  return  pipes.  If  water  fills 
or  partly  fills  horizontal  returns  (above  the  water  line) 
the  work  will  be  noisy.  The  returns  must  be  either 
under  water  or  far  above  the  water.] 


QUESTIONS  ABOUT  STEAM   HEATING. 
ANXIOUS  INQUIRER,  of  Leicester,  England,  writes: 

"  Would  you  kindly  put  me  right  as  to  the  mean- 
ing of  the  following,  which  occurs  in  tables  7,  8,  9, 
and  10  of  Robert  Briggs' '  Steam- Heating.'  At  the 
head  of  each  table  it  says,  '  Internal  diameters  of 
steam  mains,  with  total  resistance  equal  to'  so  many 
'inches  of  water  column.'  I  note,  also,  as  the 
'  water  column '  increases  the  size  of  the  pipes 
diminish. 

"  This  is  hardly  clear  to  me,  especially  the  '  water 
column  '  and  '  head  of  steam,'  as  mentioned  in  page 
84. 

"  Would  you  also  inform  me  what  sized  pipes  you 
would  recommend  for  the  •  trap '  system  of  heating  ? 
Baldwin  recommends  i-inch  pipe  per  100  square  feet 
of  heating  surface  for  a  low-pressure  gravity  ap- 
paratus, but  I  think  this  too  large,  where  the  return 
water  is  simply  flowing  back  to  a  hot  well  under 
atmospheric  pressure.  Is  there  any  rule  so  that  the 
sizes  may  be  got  from  ?  " 

[Mr.  Briggs  intends  to  show  by  his  tables  that 
with  a  certain  diameter  and  a  given  length  of  pipe  a 
radiator  of  a  stated  superficial  area  could  be  supplied 
with  steam  at  various  pressures  with  the  loss  of 
pressure  mentioned  at  the  head  of  each  table.  The 
loss  of  pressure  and  the  "inches  of  water  column" 
are  the  equivalent  of  each  other.  Referring  to  Table 
IX.,  page  92,  he  says  the  "total  resistance  (loss  of 
pressure)  is  equal  to  12  inches  of  column,"  and  by 
the  same  table  he  shows  that  a  100  square  foot  radia- 
tor, 10  feet  from  the  source  of  supply,  would  require 
a  pipe  whose  diameter  was  .52  of  an  inch  when  the 
initial  pressure  was  10  pounds,  and  that  when  the 
same  radiator  was  60  feet  off  the  diameter  of  the 
pipe  would  have  to  be  .75  of  an  inch,  and  that  the 
water  in  the  return  pipe  would  be  12  inches  higher 
than  in  the  boiler,  the  loss  of  pressure,  after  supply- 
ing the  radiator,  being  somewhat  less  than  a  half- 
pound. 

Baldwin's  sizes  are  larger  than  those  given  in  the 
Briggs'  table  and  are  given  for  a  general  condition 
only — namely,  two  to  five  pounds  pressure  with  a  loss 
of  about  half  a  pound  between  boiler  and  water  line 
in  the  return  pipes.  He  assumes  that  when  pipes 
are  large  enough  for  the  above  conditions  they  will 
be  large  enough  for  all  others,  which  is  true,  as  the 
higher  the  pressure  the  smaller  the  pipe  may  be.  In 
designing  an  apparatus,  however,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  in  getting  up  steam  you  will  have  all 
ranges  of  pressure  from  o  to  50  or  more,  and  that  to 
avoid  pounding  the  pipes  must  be  large  enough  for 
the  lowest  pressures.] 


274 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


AIR   VALVES. 


CIRCULATION  IN  A  CHURCH  STEAM- 
HEATING  SYSTEM. 
ARCHITECT,  St,  Catherine,  Ont. ,  writes: 
"  I  take  the  liberty,  as  an  old  subscriber,  of  in- 
closing herewith  a  sketch  plan  of  part  piping  and 
coils  of  a  heating  job  just  completed  in  a  church 
buildnig.  In  addition  to  coils  shown  under  seats  of 
pews,  there  are  500  feet  of  surface  in  indirect  pin 
radiators,  and  800  feet  of  surface  in  direct  cast-iron 
radiators.  The  steam  pressure  is  from  one  to  five 
pounds  per  square  inch.  Everything  is  working  sat- 
isfactorily except  the  lower  piping  in  coils  under 
pews.  It  takes  from  one  to  two  hours  for  the  air  to 
work  out  of  the  mentioned  part  of  coil,  even  with 
the  petcock  full  open  at  termination  of  }£-inch  air- 
vent  pipe,  consequently  about  one-third  of  coil  is 
non-effective  as  heating  surface  for  a  length  of  time. 
There  are  17  coils,  all  connected  with  the  3-inch  sup- 


ply as  shown.  The  J^-inch  pipe  for  venting  coil  is 
tapped  with  the  upper  T  at  a,  and  connects  with 
>2-inch  main  air- vent  pipe  at  b. 

"  Can  you  suggest  a  remedy  to  vent  the  coils 
under  seats  of  pews  so  that  they  will  have  a  quicker 
circulation  ?  " 

[Air  is  heavier  than  steam  at  the  same  density.  It 
will  be  found  that  the  3-inch  supply  pipe  will  be  full 
of  air  at  X,  and  the  water  of  condensation  will  grav- 
itate through  it  to  the  water  line,  but  no  pressure 
can  expel  it  from  that  point.  Try  an  air  vent  at  Z 
and  note  the  result.  We  are  of  the  opinion  it  will  do 
much  good,  and  may  be  all  you  want.] 


AIR  VALVES  FOR   STEAM  COILS. 

A  CANADIAN  steamfitter  writes: 

"  I  have  just  read  Mr.  Baldwin's  book  on  '  Steam 
Heating  for  Buildings,'  from  which  I  have  gained 
much  valuable  information. 

"  There  is  one  point,  however,  which  I  cannot 
quite  understand.  It  is  where  he  speaks  of  the 
proper  position  for  air  valves.  If  it  would  not  trouble 
you  very  much,  I  would  be  much  obliged  if  you 
would  advise  me  where  you  would  recommend  plac- 
ing the  air  valves  on  coils  Nos.  13  and  14,  as  shown 
in  Plate  I.  of  his  book  (flat  coils  and  header  coils)." 

[The  air  valve  is  usually  placed  on  the  upper  end 
of  the  return  header  on  coil  14;  on  coil  13  it  is  usually 


placed    in  the   lower    bend    near  the  return   pipe. 
Usually  those  positions  are  satisfactory.    It  happens. 


B-O—  C 

•JT-C 

11 
k  1  *  fJ 

\                "  *  * 

however,  at  times  that  even  in  these  positions  the  air 
does  not  go  off  satisfactorily.  It  generally  can  be 
traced  then  to  some  fault  of  construction  in  the 
apparatus.  We  have  remedied  it  in  long  coils,  such 
as  No.  14,  in  the  manner  shown  in  the  annexed 
sketch. 

Drill  the  plug  in  the  top  of  the  header,  and  carry  a 
small  pipe,  one-fourth  or  one-eighth,  down  inside 
the  header  to  about  the  level  of  the  lowest  pipe  of 
the  coil,  leaving  the  lower  end  open.  Then  make  a 
small  hole  in  the  pipe  near  the  upper  pipe  of  the 
coil,  turning  the  hole  away  f:om  the  top  pipe  as 
shown.  This  plan  draws  the  air  off  from  the  lowest 
part  of  the  coil,  while  it  also  prevents  the  water  from 
running'  from  the  air  cock,  should  water  stand  in  the 
lower  pipes  of  the  coil,  as  is  often  the  case.] 


CAN   AN  AIR   VALVE    ON  A   RADIATOR 
SYPHON  WATER  FROM  A  BOILER? 

AIR  VALVE  writes : 

"  I  have  heard  it  stated  that  the  use  of  automatic 
air  valves  on  radiators  will  cause  (under  certain  con- 
ditions) the  syphonage  of  water  out  of  a  boiler.  Is 
this  true,  and  what  are  the  conditions  ?  " 

[The  only  conditions  to  which  your  query  could 
apply,  as  far  as  we  can  understand  it,  would  be  those 
of  a  radiator  above  the  water  line  of  a  low-pressure 
boiler  and  provided  with  an  automatic  air  valve,  and 
of  which  the  steam  valve  had  been  shut  off,  while 
the  return  valve  was  left  open.  Under  these  con- 
ditions the  steam  would  soon  condense  in  the 
radiator,  forming  a  vacuum,  which  would  be  filled 
by  drawing  up  water  from  the  boiler,  provided  the 
steam  pressure  was  sufficient  and  the  height  of  the 
radiator  not  too  great.  As  soon,  however,  as  the 
radiator  was  sufficiently  cool,  the  air  valve  would 
automatically  open,  and  by  admitting  air  to  the 
radiator  would  permit  the  water  to  flow  back  into  the 
boiler,  or  as  much  of  it  as  the  steam  pressure  would 
allow.  In  this  case  you  will  see  that  the  automatic 
air  valve  really  prevents  the  continuance  of  the  so- 
called  "  syphonage,"  a  term  that  we  do  not  think 
should  be  used  except  when  referring  to  the  action 
of  a  regular  syphon.  | 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


275 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


TO  PREVENT  RUST  IN  HEATING  BOILERS 
DURING  THE  SUMMER. 

M.  C.  MEIGS,  Washington,  D.  C.,  writes: 

"I  notice  in  some  of  the  trade  circulars  of  firms 
engaged  in  steam  and  hot-water  heating  directions  for 
preservation  of  the  pipes  and  radiators,  to,  at  close 
of  winter's  work,  empty  all  the  apparatus  and  then 
to  fill  again  with  fresh  water. 

"  Is  not  this  a  mistake?  Water  itself,  in  absence 
of  air,  does  not  corrode  iron.  But  living  water,  fresh 
from  streams  or  springs,  delivered  through  city  pipes, 
has  always  a  certain  quantity  of  air,  richer  than 
atmospheric  air  in  oxygen,  absorbed  by  the  water. 
It  is  this  free  oxygen  which  supports  the  life  of  fishes, 
and  which  supplies  the  oxygen  to  rust  iron  in  contact 
with  it.  Boiling  expels  this  air  and  oxygen,  and  the 
water  which  has  remained  unchanged  for  weeks  in  a 
steam  or  hot  air  heater  should  be  thoroughly  free 
from  air  and  free  oxygen  and  the  best  fitted  to  pre- 
vent oxidation  or  rusting  or  corrosion  of  the  inside 
of  iron  boilers  and  pipes. 

"Does  experience  contradict  this  reasoning,  which 
seems  at  least  to  be  justified  by  the  laws  of  chemistry  ? 

"  Is  it  not  safer  to  preserve  in  the  apparatus  the 
water  long  used  and  freed  from  air  and  free  oxygen 
by  repeated  boiling  ?  " 

[It  is  a  mistake  to  draw  off  the  water  from  a  heat- 
ing apparatus  in  the  spring  and  fill  it  with  fresh 
water.  The  condensed  water  that  remains  over  the 
winter  with  more  or  less  oil,  etc.,  in  it  should  be  let 
remain.  It  is  more  desirable,  however,  to  fill  the 
boiler  to  the  stop  valve  with  water  than  to  draw  it 
off  and  leave  it  empty,  and  therefore  when  there  is 
no  condensed  water  to  fill  it  with,  fresh  water  has  to 
be  added.  Draw  all  this  water  off  in  the  fall,  clean 
the  boiler,  and  fill  with  fresh,  clean  water  for  the 
winter's  use.] 


CIRCULATION    IN   HEATING  TANKS. 

IGNORAMUS,  San  Francisco,  writes: 

"i.  Will  you  kindly  give  me  your  experience  and 
opinion  upon  the  following  methods  of  heating  water 
inclosed  tanks?  One  is  provided  \yithan  injector 
device  for  heating  the  water  with  live  steam  at  90 
pounds  pressure.  This  device  is  introduced  in  the 
middle  of  a  pipe,  the  ends  of  which  are  connected  to 
the  ends  of  the  tank  by  return  bends.  The  other 
method  is  to  heat  the  water  by  the  usual  pipe  coil, 
which  is  cross-connected  to  the  exhaust  and  live- 
steam  pipes,  the  live  steam  being  reduced  to  five 
pounds  pressure  before  entering  the  heating  coil. 
Which  tank  will  give  the  most  hot  water  at  a  tem- 
perature of  150°  Fahr.,  the  steam  coil  to  condense  all 
the  steam  that  will  flow  through  a  ^-inch  steam  pipe 
at  90  pounds  pressure  ? 

"  2.  If  there  is  a  difference,  why  is  it  and  why  does 
the  water  circulate  better  with  the  coil  than  with  the 
jet? 

"  3.  What  is  the  best  arrangement  for  heating  salt 
water,  an  iron  tank  or  coil  or  composition  coil  with 
iron  or  steel  tank  ? 

"4.  Why  can  a  building  be  heated  with  less  coal 
by  expanding  the  steam  through  an  engine  or  pump 
than  by  turning  the  steam  directly  into  the  heating 
system  from  the  boilers  through  a  pressure-reducing 
valve  or  by  throttling  ?  " 


[i  and  2.  We  know  of  the  injector  device  you  men- 
tion, but  do  not  know  how  successfully  it  has  been 
used.  It  would  be  impossible  to  say  which  method 
would  give  the  best  results,  as  there  is  no  data  at 
hand  to  work  from.  The  j^-inch  pipe  you  mention, 
if  of  short  length,  would  probably  supply  a  coil  of  300 
square  feet  of  surface  with  steam  at  90  pounds  press- 
ure. The  injector  device  would  be  limited  by  the 
frequency  with  which  the  water  in  the  tank  could  be 
changed,  for  if  it  did  not  change  it  would  soon  be 
heated  up  to  the  temperature  of  the  steam  supplied 
to  the  so-called  injector,  and  the  condensation  of 
steam  would  cease,  and  hence  the  circulation  of  the 
water  would  stop  also.  In  other  words,  the  steam 
condensed  in  the  injector  would  depend  entirely 
upon  the  rapidity  with  which  the  hot  water  was 
drawn  from  the  tank. 

3.  A  cast-iron  tank  with  a  copper  coil  will  probably 
give  you  as  good  a  result  as  anything  for  salt  water. 
There  would  probably  be  little   difference  between 
an  iron  and  steel  tank,  but  it  is  ge'nerally  conceded 
the  nearer  a  metal  is  in  its  composition  to  its  ore  the 
better  it  will  resist  oxidation. 

4.  A  building  cannot  be  heated  with  less  steam  by 
first  expanding  it  through  an  engine  or  pump  than 
by  passing  through  a  reducing  valve.  It  is  entirely  a 
question  of  the  amount  of  heat  in  a  unit  weight  of 
steam,  and  if  the  pressure  be  the  same  in  both  in- 
stances the  heat  in  it  will  be  the  same  also.     There 
is  this  point,  though,  when  you  heat  with   exhaust 
steam  you  warm  your  building  with  heat  that  would 
have  otherwise  been  wasted  by  going  out  of  the  ex- 
haast  pipe.     By  the  other  method  you  draw  your 
steam  directly  from  the  boilers,  and  it  takes  coal  to 
make  it.     By  heating  with  exhaust  steam  you  would 
not  affect  your  coal  pile.] 


RESPONSIBILITY  FOR  FREEZING  OF 
STEAM  COILS. 

G.,  New  York,  writes: 

"A  disputed  point  often  arises  between  the  steam- 
heating  contractor  and  the  owner  in  unfinished  houses 
where  the  apparatus  is  operated  by  the  owner  for  his 
own  convenience  before  the  apparatus  is  accepted 
The  coils  used  for  indirect  heating  are  often  allowed 
to  freeze.  What  is  the  best  way  to  prevent  freez- 
ing?" 

[When  an  owner  insists  on  the  use  of  an  apparatus 
before  its  completion  he  should  be  responsible  for 
any  damage  that  may  occur,  and  the  contractor 
would  do  well  to  protest  in  all  such  cases  and  refuse 
to  allow  the  apparatus  to  be  used  unless  the  owner 
accepted  the  responsibility.  It  is  the  habit  with  some 
contractors  to  furnish  a  man  of  their  own  selection  to 
run  the  apparatus  for  the  owner's  benefit  on  the  pay- 
ment of  a  stipulated  amount  per  day.  In  such  cases 
the  contractor  is  the  responsible  party.  No  complete 
and  well-constructed  apparatus  will  freeze  unless  it 


276 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


is  neglected.  When  steam  is  in  the  pipes  they  cannot 
freeze,  as  the  heat  will  prevent  it;  and  when  steam  is 
down,  the  pipes  and  coils  should  be  empty  as  low 
down  as  the  water  line,  and  consequently  cannot 
freeze,  as  there  is  nothing  within  them  to  freeze.  If 
the  return  pipes  are  allowed  to  remain  filled  with 
water  in  a  cold  and  open  building  they  will  of  course 
freeze,  and  under  such  circumstances  they  should  be 
drawn  off. 

A  poor  fire  will  cause  freezing  in  a  steam  apparatus 
by  allowing  a  vapor  to  go  over  into  the  pipes  where 
it  will  condense  and  freeze,  but  when  sufficient  steam 
is  sent  over  this  cannot  happen.  Where  valves  are 
used  on  indirect  coils,  and  either  one  of  them  becomes 
closed  by  accident  or  design,  the  coil  will  freeze  if 
the  air  passing  over  it  is  sufficiently  cold.  When  the 
upper  or  steam  valve  is  closed  the  supply  of  steam  to 
the  coil  is  interrupted  and  what  remains  within  it 
condenses,  forming  a  vacuum  that  draws  the  water 
from  the  return  pipe  into  the  coil  and  allows  it  to 
freeze.  When  the  lower  or  return  valve  is  closed  the 
water  of  condensation  accumulates  within  the  coil 
and  it  freezes.  Should  either  or  both  valves  become 
sufficiently  closed  to  lessen  the  pressure  on  the  coil  a 
pound  or  two,  according  to  their  height  above  the 
water  line,  they  (the  coils)  will  freeze,  or  should  the 
valves  leak  wheii  closed  from  a  defect,  or  by  being 
carelessly  closed,  so  as  to  allow  the  return  water  to 
rise  slowly  into  the  coil  or  a  leakage  of  steam  into 
the  coil,  they  will  freeze.  A  good  way  for  private 
house  work  is  not  to  use  valves  in  thte  coil  for  indirect 
heating.  Then  the  chances  of  freezing  are  reduced 
to  mismanagement  at  the  boiler  only.  Some  will  say 
this  will  result  in  an  unnecessary  waste  of  fuel.  It 
will  result  in  some  waste,  but  if  the  air  ducts  and 
registers  are  closed  tightly  this  waste  will  not  be 
great.  The  vapor  from  a  banked  fire  will  go  over 
into  a  steam  apparatus,  and  should  it  blow  suddenly 
cold  during  the  night  the  apparatus  will  freeze.  All 
causes  of  freezing,  except  those  caused  by  leaky 
valves,  are  those  of  management,  in  a  properly- 
constructed  apparatus.  If  an  apparatus  is  so  made 
that  the  water  in  the  indirect  coils  will  not  fall  below 
the  bottom  of  the  coil  under  proper  manipulation, 
then  freezing  may  follow  in  very  cold  weather.] 


OBJECTION  TO  THREE  LUGS  ON  A  BOILER. 

STEAMFITTER,  Pittsburg,  asks  if  there  is  any 
good  objection  to  putting  three  lugs  on  the  side  of  a 
horizontal  boiler  that  is  to  be  set  in  brickwork. 

[Our  answer  is,  there  is  a  good  and  valid  reason 
why  not  more  than  two  lugs  should  be  used  on  the 
side  of  a  boiler  of  ordinary  length,  which  is,  when 
three  or  more  lugs  are  used  on  a  side  the  middle  pair 
of  lugs  will  have  to  carry  the  whole  weight  of  the 
boiler  should  the  foundations  or  the  walls  at  the  ends 
ot  the  boiler  settle. 

Where  three  lugs  are  used,  the  danger  of  breaking 
off  a  lug  or  of  pulling  a  piece  out  of  the  side  of  the 
boiler  is  increased.  Indeed  the  initial  rupture  in  a 
boiler  shell  is  often  traced  and  found  to  start  at  the 
rivet  holes  under  the  lugs.] 


MEASURING  PIPE  IN  FORTY-FIVE  DEGREE 
FITTING. 

A  CORRESPONDENT  writes: 

"  Having  frequently  observed  the  awkward  and 
slow  way  in  which  many  steamfitters  lay  out  and 
measure  work  when  using  45-degree  ells,  I  would 
direct  attention  to  a  very  simple  method: 

"  Let  A  be  a  line  of  pipe  to  be  joined  to  another 
line  B.  by  the  45-degree  connection  C.  It  is  assumed 
to  be  found  by  measurement  that  the  perpendicular 


FORTY-FIVE    DEGREE    PIPE    FITTING. 

distance  from  the  center  of  the  45-degree  ell  b  to  the 
central  axis  of  the  pipe  A  is  24  inches.  Add  to  24 
inches  thirteen  thirty-seconds  of  24  inches  and  it  will 
give  with  all  requisite  accuracy  the  disance  from  the 
center  of  the  ell  b  to  the  center  of  the  ell  c,  thus: 

1*3  ^Q 

32  4 

24  +  9^  =  332^  inches. 

"  The  reason  for  this  is  perfectly  simple.  The  ells 
b  and  c  being  45  degrees,  the  connection  C  is  the 
diagonal  of  a  square,  a  side  of  which  is  24  inches, 
and  the  ratio  of  the  diagonal  of  a  square  to  one  of 
its  sides  is  i^|  very  nearly,  or  if  decimals  be  pre- 
ferred, 1.41.'* 


CONTINUOUS  USE  OF  WATER  IN  A  STEAM- 
HEATING  BOILER. 

N.  I.  B.,  Peoria,  111.,  writes: 

"Last  fall  I  put  a  steam-heating  apparatus  into 
a  residence  now  approaching  completion.  There  are 
1,050  square  feet  ot  heating  surface  in  it.  The  water 
main  leading  to  the  house  is  now  frozen  and  there  is 
no  other  water  convenient.  The  hardwood  men, 
decorators,  and  other  mechanics  are  working  in  the 
house.  We  have  three  gauges  of  water  in  the  boiler 
now.  We  do  not  want  to  let  down  steam,  as  that 
affects  the  hardwood  work.  I  have  had  no  such  ex- 
perience before  and  should  like  to  know  how  long  the 
present  supply  of  water  will  probably  last." 

[Take  precautions  against  the  common  practice  of 
drawing  hot  water  from  the  boiler,  or  steam  fer 
making  glue,  paste,  etc.  Remove  all  valve  handles 
which  might  be  tampered  with,  and  see  that  air  only 
is  let  out  of  the  air  valves.  Then  if  you  have  no  leaks, 
the  amount  of"  water  you  have  on  hand  may  serve 
you  until  the  main  is  thawed  out.  In  any  event  the 
loss  will  be  so  small  and  gradual  that  you  can  by 
attention  guard  against  damage.] 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


277 


O.  L.,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  writes  to  know  the  ex- 
pansion of  air  and  the  true  proportion  an  inlet  duct 
to  a  radiator  should  bear  to  the  flue  in  the  wall. 

[The  expansion  of  air  is  about  T£ff  of  its  bulk  for 
each  degree  Fahr.  it  is  warmed.  A  good  common 
rule  among  heating  engineers  is  to  have  the  heat 
flue  one-quarter  larger  than  the  inlet,  or,  perhaps 
more  properly  speaking,  to  have  the  inlet  not  less 
than  four-fifths  of  the  hot-air  flue.] 


ABOUT  A  STOP  VALVE 
MAIN. 


ON  A  HEATING 


A.  D.  R.,  of  Bristol,  Tenn.,  asks: 

"  Do  you  think  it  advisable  to  put  a  steam  stop 
valve  on  the  main  leading  from  a  low-pressure  steam- 
heating  boiler  ?  Is  such  a  valve  detrimental  to  such 
a  job  ?  If  it  is  or  is  not  please  give  your  reasons." 

[In  low-pressure  work,  such  as  house-heating,  it  is 
safer  to  dispense  with  a  stop  valve  in  the  main  than 
to  use  one.  In  fact,  if  one  is  put  into  the  pipe  it  is 
practically  impossible  to  use  it  to  any  advantage. 

Should  there  be  a  strong  fire  in  the  boiler  the  stop 
valve  cannot  be  closed  without  a  dangerous  increase 
of  pressure  in  the  low-pressure  boiler  unless  the 
safety  valve  relieves  it,  but  even  in  that  case  it  is 
not  desirable  to  blow  off  into  the  cellar  of  the  house, 
and  an  escape  pipe  from  the  safety  valve  of  a  house 
apparatus  is  not  advisable.  Of  course  an  engineer 
is  liable  to  reply  to  this  and  say,  "The  door  of  the 
furnace  should  be  thrown  open  and  the  fire  checked," 
which  is  very  true,  but  it  is  also  true  that  throwing 
the  furnace  door  open  on  a  low-pressure  apparatus — 
carrying,  say  one  or  two  pounds  of  steam — will,  as  a 
general  thing,  check  the  formation  of  steam  so 
rapidly  that  a  partial  vacuum  will  exist  in  the  pipes 
in  two  or  three  minutes,  and  this  being  the  case 
there  is  no  necessity  for  a  stop  valve  on  the  main, 
as  simply  opening  the  firedoor  answers  the  purpose 
of  interrupting  the  steam  better  than  closing  a  valve 
when  pipes  are  to  be  repaired  or  radiators  discon- 
nected. 

With  a  good  fire  and  hot  water  in  the  boiler,  10 
minutes  after  the  door  is  closed  again  steam  will  be 
formed  and  flow  into  the  pipes  and  the  apparatus 
will  be  in  operation  again.  There  is  danger  also  in 
the  use  of  a  main  stop  valve  where  no  check  valve  is 
used  'n  the  return  pipe.  Should  the  main  valve  be 
closed  and  the  return  valve  neglected,  the  water  will 
"back "  out  of  the  boiler  and  it  will  be  "burned  "  for 
want  of  water. 

To  sum  up,  no  purpose  can  be  accomplished  by 
using  the  valve  that  cannot  be  equally  well  attained 
by  opening  or  closing  the  furnace  door,  and  closing 
the  valve,  without  such  care  of  the  fire  as  an  ignorant 
servant  is  not  likely  to  take,  may  result  in  the 
destruction  or  explosion  of  the  boiler.] 


COMBUSTIBLE  GAS   FROM    A    HOT- WATER 
HEATER. 

H.  H.  HILL,  Brandon,  Vt.,  writes: 

' '  I  have  a  hot-water  apparatus  in  my  house.  I 
was  told  to  open  the  air  cocks  and  let  the  air  out.  I 
did  so  as  often  as  two  or  three  times  a  week,  and  one 


evening,  with  a  lighted  lamp  in  my  hand,  I  opened 
one  and  it  took  fire,  burst  the  chimney  and  came 
very  near  setting  the  house  on  fire.  After  two  days 
any  of  them  will  bnrn  like  a  gas  jet  for  about  one- 
fourth  to  one-halt'  a  minute.  This  appears  to  be  a 
little  dangerous.  What  is  the  matter?  It  did  it  all 
last  winter  and  I  thought  it  would  get  over  it  this 
summer,  but  it  hasn't.  What  is  to  be  done?  Has 
any  steamfitter  made  a  mistake  and  sent  me  a  gas 
generator  instead  of  a  hot- water  apparatus  ?  " 

[THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  has  frequently  noted 
this  occurrence.  There  is  nothing  whatever  danger- 
ous about  it,  as  it  is  presumably  only  a  hydrocarbon 
gas.  Whether  it  is  formed  by  the  decomposition  of 
the  water  direct,  or  by  some  impurity  in  the  water, 
we  do  not  know.  It  is  well  known,  however,  that 
particles  such  as  oil,  etc.,  will  decompose  on  the  in- 
side of  a  hot  surface,  and  that  the  gas  thus  formed  is 
insoluble  and  will  separate  from  the  water.  There  is 
no  danger  from  it,  however,  as  it  cannot  ignite  until 
mixed  with  air,  and  the  quantity  is  inconsiderable.] 


TROUBLE  FROM  PRIMING. 

GREENWICH,  New  York  City,  writes: 
"I  have  a  vertical  boiler  which  is  used  partly  for 
furnishing  steam  for  power,  and  partly  for  heating  a 
building,  which  is  giving  trouble  from  priming. 
You  may  be  able  to  suggest  some  remedy  for  the 
difficulty.  The  boiler  is  6  feet  in  diameter  and  9  feet 
in  height.  It  contains  420  2-inch  tubes,  6  feet  6 
inches  long,  and  the  diameter  of  the  firebox  is  about 
5  feet  6  inches.  The  tubes  are  laid  out  within  a 
circle  having  a  diameter  of  about  5  feet.  It  has  been 
suggested  to  me  that  the  difficulty  is  produced  by  the 
great  number  of  tubes  and  the  deficiency  of  room  for 
circulation.  If  this  is  the  case  would  it  be  well  to 
take  out  some  of  the  tubes,  and  if  so,  what  number 
and  in  what  locality  ?  The  steam  is  discharged  from 
the  boiler  through  a  nozzle  attached  to  the  side  of  the 
shell.  In  the  interior  a  plate  covers  the  mouth  of 
the  nozzle,  standing  off  a  distance  of  3  inches  and 


VWERJ 


278 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


preventing  access  to  the  same  except  through  the 
opening  which  is  left  at  the  extreme  top,  close  to  the 
upper  head." 

[We  have  had  a  somewhat  similar  experience  in 
our  own  practice.  We  lowered  the  water  line  as 
much  as  we  consider  safe  and  found  an  improve- 
ment. We  also  tried  several  methods  of  using  a 
baffling-plate  over  the  inside  mouth  of  the  steam 
nozzle  and  found  that  a  large  plate  set  out  sufficiently 
far  from  the  outlet  so  as  not  to  appreciably  contract 
it  and  open  at  the  top  and  sides,  but  closed  at  the 
bottom,  which  bottom  was  iust  about  the  water  line, 
overcame  the  trouble.  Our  theory  was  the  agitation 
attending  on  ebullition  threw  the  water  against  the 
steam  pipe  and  it  was  carried  out  with  the  current  of 
steam,  which  was  rapid  at  the  mouth  of  the  pipe. 
When  the  plate,  which  was  about  2  feet  long,  fo$  a 
4-inch  pipe  and  bent  to  about  the  circle  of  the  boiler 
was  applied  the  velocity  of  the  escaping  steam  at  any 
part  of  the  edge  of  the  plate  was  so  slow  it  permitted 
the  water  to  fall  back  into  the  boiler  and  none  but 

8-0" 


gravity  system  of,  say  five  pounds-,  five  pounds  also 
being  the  pressure  to  which  the  steam  is  reduced  in 
the  other  system." 

[There  should  be  no  difference  between  the  heat- 
ing surface  of  the  two  systems.  The  heat  given  off 
per  square  foot  of  surface  depends  upon  the  differ- 
ence in  temperature  between  the  steam  in  the  radi- 
ators and  the  air  in  the  room  to  be  warmed.  In  each 
of  the  two  cases  you  mentioned,  if  the  steam  is  at 
five  pounds  pressure  the  number  of  heat  units  trans- 
mitted by  the  two  systems  will  be  equal,  provided 
that  the  amount  of  heating  surface  and  the  other 
conditions  are  the  same.  The  fact  that  the  steam  in 
one  system  passes  through  a  reducing  valve  in  no 
way  affects  the  efficiency  or  value  of  the  surface.] 


STEAMFITTERS'  KNOCK-DOWN    BENCH. 

A  VERY  convenient  bench  for  steam  and  hot-water 
pipe  has  been  devised  by  George  Andrews,  of  Min- 
neapolis. It  is  strong,  simple,  easily  made,  and  very 


RECORD, 


STEAMFITTERS'  KNOCK-DOWN  BENCH. 


fairly  dry  steam  to  escape.  The  diagram  shows  how 
this  was  arranged.  The  plate  should  not  be  set  more 
than  the  diameter  of  the  pipe  from  the  shell  of  the 
boiler  and  as  much  closer  as  possible  without  with- 
drawing the  steam.  The  plate  can  be  held  by  four 
sockets  and  bolts  passed  through  shell  of  boiler  and 
plate.  If  the  manhole  or  handhole  through  which 
the  plate  has  to  be  passed  is  not  large  enough  to 
admit  the  plate  whole  make  the  plate  in  parts  and 
bolt  it  together  within  the  boiler.] 


RADIATING    SURFACE   AND    REDUCED 
STEAM  PRESSURES. 

PRESSURE,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  writes: 

"  The  undersigned,  who  is  a  working  steamfitter, 
has  had  the  question  asked  him  several  times 
whether  you  cannot  use  a  smaller  pipe  and  a  smaller 
amount  of  radiating  surface  to  give  the  same  result 
on  a  steam-heating  job  where  a  reducing  valve  is 
used  than  you  can  in  an  ordinary  low-pressure 


rigid  and  can  be  instantly  taken  down  and  folded  up 
into  a  thin  flat  shape  easily  packed  and  carried,  and 
of  a  size  that  will  enter  any  ordinary  door  or  window. 
The  table  is  bolted  to  side  and  end  pieces  E  E,  and 
has  the  legs  attached  by  bolts  through  the  iron  straps 
S  S  so  as  to  form  hinges  about  which  they  may  be 
revolved  up  to  the  table  in  the  direction  of  the  dotted 
arrows.  Each  of  the  four  braces  D  D  has  three 
hinges,  A  a  lo-inch  tee  and  B  and  F  i6-inch  straps, 
which  enable  them  to  fold  with  the  legs.  The  legs 
are  re-enforced  by  an  iron  face  strap  H  H,  which  at 
the  top  forms  one  part  of  the  hinge,  and  at  the  bot- 
tom turns  out  to  form  a  plate  through  which  lag 
screws  are  used  to  secure  it  to  the  floor. 


HEAT-CONDUCTING  PROPERTIES  OF  BUILD- 
ING MATERIALS. 

WILLIAM  ATKINSON,  Boston,  Mass.,  writes: 
"  Can  you  refer  me  to  any  experiments  on   the 

relative  non  heat-conducting  qualities  of  brick,  espe- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


279 


cially  the  modern  kinds  of  light-colored  and  speckled 
brick,  and  of  brick  as  compared  with  stone  in  this 
respect;  also  to  any  discussion  of  the  merits  of  paint- 
ing brick  walls  to  make  them  impermeable  to  moist- 
ure ?  I  am  familiar  with  what  little  there  is  in  Baker 
on  these  subjects." 

[Thomas  Box,  in  his  "  Practical  Treatise  on  Heat," 
page  211,  gives  a  table  of  the  conducting  powers  of 
materials  prepared  from  the  experiments  of  Peclet. 
It  gives  the  quantity  of  heat  in  units  transmitted  per 
square  foot  per  hour  by  a  plate  i  inch  in  thickness, 
the  two  surfaces  differing  in  temperature  i  degree: 

Fine-grained  gray  marble 28.00 

Coarse-grained  white  marble..  22.4 

Stone,  calcareous,  fine 16.7 

Stone,  calcareous,  ordinary 13.68 

Baked  clay,  brickwork 4.83 

Brick  dust,  sifted 1.33 

Hood,  in  his  "  Warming  and  Ventilating  of  Build- 
ings," page  249,  gives  the  results  of  M.  Depretz, 
which,  placing  the  conducting  power  of  marble  at 
i,  give. 483  as  the  value  for  firebrick.  For  further 
information  on  M.  Depretz's  experiments  Hood  re- 
fers to  "  Traite  de  Physique,"  page  201.  We  know 
of  no  experiments  on  different  kinds  of  bricks. 

As  to  your  last  question,  we  believe  that  there  are 
several  patent  processes  for  painting  walls  to  make 
them  impermeable  to  moisture  which  have  proved 
successful.] 


THE  SMEAD  SYSTEM  FOR  SCHOOLS. 

N.  K.  HOWARD,  Lincoln,  Neb.,  writes: 
"The  School  Board  here  is  considering  the  Smead 
system  of  heating.  I  would  like  information  on  the 
system,  and  to  have  your  opinion  on  the  subject. 
I  think  there  are  enough  other  steam  and  hot- water 
systems  that  would  give  much  better  results."  • 

[Just  what  is  proposed  by  the  so-called  Smead  sys- 
tem for  Lincoln,  Neb. ,  does  not  here  appear.  There 
has  been  considerable  controversy  regarding  the 
merits  of  the  system  after  its  adoption  for  certain 
school  buildings  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  our  corre- 
spondent is  referred  to  the  health  officer  of  Detroit 
for  information.  If  it  is  proposed  in  Lincoln  to  evap- 
orate and  dry  the  excrement  and  urine  in  the  build- 
ing, the  following  query  and  the  reply  thereto,  re- 
printed from  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  of  August 
24,  1889,  gives  our  opinion  at  this  time  also: 

" WILLIAM  MORAN,  of  Titusville,  Pa.,  asks  the  fol- 
lowing questions: 

"i.  In  a  school  building,  is  it  good  sanitary  prac- 
tice to  connect  the  ventilating  system  of  the  rooms 
with  the  vaults  and  urinals  located  in  the  basement  ? 

"2.  Is  it  good  sanitary  practice  to  evaporate  the 
excrement  and  urine  of  400  persons,  conveying  the 
contaminated  air  through  brick  and  mortar  ducts, 
with  which  all  the  rooms  have  direct  connection,  by 
underfloor  spaces  and  open  registers? 

"3.  In  a  school  building,  heated  by  warm-air  fur- 
naces, is  it  possible  to  evaporate,  from  day  to  day, 
all  the  solid  and  liquid  excrement  of  400  persons,  de- 
posited in  water-tight  brick-lined  vaults,  located  in 
the  basement,  by  means  of  such  currents  of  air, 
drawn  from  the  rooms  above,  as  may  be  induced  to 
pass  through  the  vaults  on  their  way  to  base  of  the 


ventilating  shaft,  without  using  other  means  than  the 
draft  of  a  warm  flue  to  create  such  current? 

"  4.  In  the  arrangement  mentioned  in  question  3, 
will  not  the  currents  of  impure  air  sometimes  be  re- 
versed, to  the  great  peril  of  the  occupants  of  the 
building? 

"5.  Would  not  the  foul  air  leaving  top  of  shaft, 
under  certain  conditions  of  the  atmosphere,  settle 
down  to  the  earth,  and  be  an  unbearable  nuisance  to 
all  the  neighborhood  immediately  surrounding  the 
building? 

"  It  is  not  good  sanitary  practice  to  place  the  vaults 
and  urinals  of  a  school  building  in  the  basement  of 
that  building.  It  is  not  good  sanitary  practice  to 
attempt  to  dispose  of  the  bulk  of  the  excrement  and 
urine  of  several  hundred  children  by  evaporation  by 
means  of  a  current  of  air  drawn  over  such  material 
and  sent  up  a  shaft.  For  a  time  such  a  system  may 
be  made  to  work  without  much  danger  of  creating  a 
nuisance  in  the  form  of  offensive  smells,  but  ulti- 
mately the  brickwork  of  the  flues  and  walls  through 
which  the  offensive  air  is  drawn  is  likely  to  become 
saturated  and  give  off  an  unpleasant  odor;  the  foul 
vapor  escaping  from  the  top  of  the  shaft  may  be 
precipitated  by  rain,  or  in  dry  weather  dangerous 
particles  may  fall  in  the  vicinity  in  the  form  of  dust. 
For  these  reasons  the  system  should  not  be  used  in  a 
schoolhouse  in  a  thickly-populated  locality;  it  should 
not  be  used  where  it  is  possible  to  connect  the  water- 
closets  of  the  schoolhouse  with  sewers,  and  in  thinly- 
settled  localities,  where  there  is  abundant  room  for 
separate  buildings  for  water-closets,  they  should 
never  be  placed  in  the  main  building.  With  regard 
to  questions  3  and  4,  it  is  theoretically  possible  to 
maintain  a  constant  current  of  air  in  one  direction 
which  will  produce  the  evaporation  referred  to,  but 
to  do  this  will  require  much  more  constant  care  and 
watchfulness  on  the  part  of  the  janitor  than  it  is 
reasonable  to  expect  from  such  an  official."] 


COLD    AIR    FROM    A    STEAM-HEATING 
RADIATOR. 

F.  W.  S.,  Boston,  writes: 

"  We  have  a  steam-heating  radiator  in  our  office. 
At  times  I  want-  more  heat,  and  on  opening  the  air 
valve  on  the  radiator  a  rush  of  air  comes  from  it, 
cold  enough  to  be  from  a  refrigerating  machine  in- 
stead of  a  steam  heater.  At  first  it  is  cold  enough 
to  chill  the  hand,  but  it  gradually  grows  warmer. 
Where  does  this  cold  air  come  from  ? " 

[It  is  not  the  low  temperature  of  the  air  which 
comes  from  the  radiator  that  chills  your  hand.  It  is 
the  sudden  expansion  of  the  volume  of  air  expelled 
so  rapidly  from  the  radiator  by  the  steam  pressure  be- 
hind it,  which  air  absorbs  heat  from  the  surrounding 
air,  and  your  hand  being  well  within  this  influence 
and  warmer  than  the  air  makes  this  action  the  more 
apparent.  The  dryer  and  colder  the  air  in  the  radi- 
ator and  the  warmer  and  damper  your  hand  the  more 
perceptible  this  sensation  will  be.  Compressed  air 
injected  into  damp  summer  air  will  create  snow,  or 
then  an  icicle,  if  the  conditions  are  favorable.] 


280 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


METHOD    OP   REGULATING    DRAFT   BY 
EXPANSION  TANK. 

A  READER,  Billings,  Mont.,  writes: 

41  In  answer  to  W.  P.  Powers'  inquiry,  in  your 
last  issue,  in  regard  to  an  automatic  device  to  govern 
dampers  on  hot-water  apparatus,  I  respectfully  send 
the  inclosed  cut  that  I  think  will  explain  itself  to  any 
good  workman,  I  have  used  it  with  good  success  in 


my  practice.  The  device,  of  course,  is  intended  for 
an  open-tank  system,  and  can  be  regulated  for  any 
temperature  of  water  by  adjusting  chain.  The  float 
and  damper  should  be  counterbalanced.  On  the  end 
of  lever,  attached  to  smoke  flue  damper,  there 
should  be  an  iron  or  lead  weight  to  close  damper 
when  float  rises." 

[Our  correspondent's  method  is  not  unknown  to 
many  in  the  hot- water  trade.  For  some  reason, 
however,  it  has  not  received  the  recognition  it  would 
appear  to  command.  Like  almost  everything  else  it 


has  a  weak  point,  which  is  the  trouble  to  keep  the 
desired  level  in  the  expansion  tank.  It  cannot  be- 
used  when  a  ball  cock  is  used,  as  the  ball  cock  keepa 
a  constant  level  unless  it  is  submerged  to  operate 
only  at  a  very  low  point;  and  when  there  is  no  auto- 
matic supply,  unless  the  apparatus  is  absolutely 
tight,  the  variation  in  the  tank  destroys  the  regula- 
tion. In  the  hands  of  one  who  will  look  after  the 
careful  regulation  of  the  height  of  the  water  it  should 
give  good  results.] 


A.  H.  I.,  Rutland,  Vt.,  writes: 

"  The  automatic  water  regulator  on  my  steam-heat- 
ing boiler  is  out  of  order.  Please  let  me  know  how 
often  I  should  put  water  in  it,  and  when,  or  how  to 
manage  it." 

[If  your  regulator  has  done  good  work,  have  it  re- 
paired by  a  competent  man,  or  perform  the  functions 
of  the  regulator  yourself  as  nearly  as  you  can,  by 
letting  in  a  small  stream  of  water  when  the  water 
level  has  dropped  to  the  lowest  line  decided  on, 
which  should  be  shown  by  a  mark  on  the  boiler 
water-gauge  glass.  A  good  time  to  let  water  in  is  in 
the  morning  when  the  steam  and  fire  are  low,  or 
preferably,  at  any  other  time  when  those  conditions 
exist,  as  the  chilling  of  the  water  in  the  morning  will 
delay  the  getting  up  of  steam.  A  safe  practice  is 
never  to  turn  on  a  full  head  of  cold  water  into  a 
boiler  when  it  is  warm.  A  small  stream,  though  re- 
quiring a  few  minutes  longer  to  fill,  may  save  a  large 
repair  bill.] 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  — NOTES  AND  QUERIES. 


GREENHOUSES. 


HEATING  A  GREENHOUSE. 

FITTER  writes: 

"We  submit  a  ground  plan  and  section  of  green- 
house, with  dimensions,  and  which  we  would  be 
pleased  to  have  your  ideas  upon,  and  instructions 
with  regard  to  how  to  make  a  neat  job,  and  one  that 
will  heat  properly  the  space,  say,  when  the  weather 
is  down  to  20  degrees  below  zero.  It  is  in  the  city 
and  we  want  to  make  a  neat  job  of  it.  We  want  you 
to  render  us  advice  as  to  location  of  stand-pipes  or 
tanks,  air  cocks  if  you  advise  any,  or  other  stops  if 
used;  the  best  means  to  obtain  a  good  circulation 
and  proper  heat  with  the  least  amount  of  4-inch  pipe; 
the  best  compound  for  rust  joint,  etc.  The  boiler  has 
two  outlets  as  shown.  Now,  will  you  draw  the  runs 
and  the  number  tor  the  side  and  middle  beds  and  re- 
turns (the  return  outlets  are  on  bottom  of  boiler,  not 
shown),  and  mark  sections  of  the  pipes  on  the  section 
plan  ?  Boiler  is  located  in  the  pit  where  stairs  go 
down. 


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•"  Mark  location  of  stand-pipes  or  tanks  and  give  us 
the  proper  grade  you  would  run  the  pipe. 

•'  Any  pipes  run  near  or  on  path  at  the  office  will 
be  boxed  with  steps,  but  we  do  not  want  to  cross  the 
rear  door  with  the  pipes  if  it  can  be  avoided. 

"  Size  of  boiler  used,  30x48  inches.  Approximate 
heating  power  of  4-inch  pipe,  1,250  f.et.  Heating 
surface,  4,082  square  inches." 

[The  glass  surface  of  your  building  is  about  2,400 
square  feet.  A  good  common  rule  to  follow  in  so 
cold  a  climate,  in  determining  heating  surfaces  for 
greenhouses  or  nurseries,  is  to  allow  i  foot  of  4-inch 


pipe  to  each  2  square  feet  of  glass  in  a  perpendicular 
form.  This  would  call  for  1,200  feet  of  4-inch  pipe. 

In  your  case,  however,  the  usual  slanting  roofs  pre- 
vail, and  in  this  case  i  foot  of  pipe  to  3  of  glass  is 
considered  enough.  This  would  call  for  800  feet  of 
4-inch  pipe.  It  will  be  noticed  in  your  plan  that  the 
total  length  of  your  outside  "  benches  "  or  beds  is 
about  200  feet.  If  you  use  four  pipes  the  length  of 
these  beds  it  takes  about  the  length  of  pipe  you  re- 
quire. You  can,  in  your  judgment,  use  all  this  pipe 
under  the  outer  branches,  or  you  can  divide  it  and 
use  some  under  the  inner  ones,  though  the  latter  we 
do  not  advise,  as  we  consider  it  unnecessary. 

From  your  plan  we  assume  the  boiler  to  be  on  the 
level  with  the  floor.  In  such  a  case  you  will  have  to 
use  your  expansion  tank  near  the  boiler,  so  you  can 
pass  over  the  doorways.  Place  the  tank  high  up, 
and  if  you  use  four  coils,  which  presumably  you  will 
for  the  four  outside  beds,  take  four  separate  flow 
pipes  to  the  four  coils  above  all  doorways,  etc.  This 
may  compel  you  to  take  the  flow  pipes  for  the  right- 
hand  side  out-of-doors.  In  such  case  use  two  flow 
pipes  from  the  boiler  to  two  expansion  tanks,  placing 
one  in  each  house  high  up,  then  flow  from  the  tanks 
to  the  coils.  In  returning  you  can  carry  the  return 
pipes  with  a  little  dip  to  get  past  the  doorways.  Let 
the  pipes  have  a  slight  downward  inclination  and  you 
will  require  no  air  cocks.] 


HEATING  WATER  FOR  WATERING  GREEN- 
HOUSES. 
JOSEPH  HEACOCK,  Jenkintown,  Pa.,  writes: 

"I  take  the  liberty  of  inquiring  of  you  for  the  best 
arrangement  to  heat  the  water  that  we  use  to  water 
our  greenhouses  with.  The  water  is  taken  directly 
from  the  street  main,  and  in  cold  weather,  in  winter, 
it  is  only  about  40  degrees,  and  we  want  to  raise  the 
temperature  to  about  70  degrees  when  we  apply  it 
with  the  hose. 

"We  do  our  heating  with  two  50  H.  P.  return- 
tubular  boilers,  and  have  an  abundance  of  steam 
that  can  be  used  for  heating  the  water.  I  have 
thought  that  a  circulating  boiler,  filled  with  tubes  for 
the  stream  to  pass  through,  might  answer,  providing 
there  is  any  arrangement  by  which  a  valve  at  the 
top,  regulating  the  steam,  could  be  made  to  work 
automatically.  We  use  the  gravity  system  of  heat- 
ing, all  condensed  steam  returning  to  the  boiler,  car- 
rying two  to  three  pounds  of  steam.  The  water  is 
taken  through  a  2-inch  Worthington  meter,  under  80 
pounds  pressure,  and  is  used  in  each  house  through 
24f-inch  hose. 

"  We  find  in  practice  that  some  varieties  of  roses 
will  not  stand  being  watered  with  water  at  40  de- 
grees, when  the  temperature  of  the  house  stands  at 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


70  degrees,  hence  the  great  importance  to  us  of  some 
arrangement  that  would  automatically  keep  the 
water  at  the  desired  temperature. 

' '  I  would  be  .exceedingly  obliged  to  you  for  any  in- 
formation or  suggestions  that  you  might  be  kind 
enough  to  give  me." 

[We  have  referred  this  matter  to  Mr.  William  J. 
Baldwin,  heating  engineer,  of  New  York,  who  sends 
us  the  following: 

An  ordinary  feed-water  heater  or  any  other  tank 
with  the  steam  coils  within  it,  maybe  used  for  warm- 


PIPK  ARRANGEMENT  FOR  HEATING  WATER. 

ing  the  water  from  40  to  70  degrees,  just  as  well  as 
from  40  to  a  much  higher  temperature,  provided  the 
inlet  and  outlet  steam  supply  is  controlled  by  an 
automatic  or  thermostatic  valve,  and  there  are  several 
electrical  controlled  valves  that  will  answer  this  pur- 
pose nicely.  The  water  of  condensation,  however, 
from  such  an  apparatus  cannot  be  returned  by  gravity 
into  the  boiler,  and  must  either  be  wasted  or  returned 
by  pump  and  governor,  or  their  equivalent,  all  of 
which  makes  a  large  and  more  expensive  apparatus 
than  would  be  necessary  for  all  the  sprinkling  water 
required.  A  cheap  method  of  accomplishing  the 
same,  and  one  that  will  utilize  waste  heat,  would  be 
to  take  the  cold-water  supply  pipe  a  and  branch  it  at 
b  into  the  chimney  or  smoke  flue,  returning  into  the 


pipe  a  again  at  d.  At  b  two  valves  are  used,  e  andy. 
When  the  valve /"is  closed  and  the  valve  e  open,  all 
the  water  is  made  to  travel  through  pipe  c  to  the 
points  of  delivery,  and  thus  can  be  delivered  com- 
paratively warm  at  the  nozzles.  To  regulate  the 
temperature  at  the  point  of  delivery,  the  valvey  may 
be  opened  partially  and  e  partially  closed,  so  that  the 
current  of  water  is  divided  at  d,  part  going  through 
the  direct  pipe  and  part  through  the  heater  in  the 
chimney,  thus  giving  almost  any  regulation  of  tem- 
perature by  the  manipulation  of  the  valves  e  and  f. 
The  length  of  the  pipe  c,  of  course,  will  largely  de- 
pend on  the  quantity  of  water  drawn.  The  quantity 
for  sprinkling  flowers,  however,  not  being  great,  from 
10  to  12  feet  of  2-inch  pipe  is  probably  all  that  would 
be  required  in  the  heat  of  an  ordinary  chimney.  An 
arrangement  like  that  shown  can  be  introduced  into 
the  dome  of  a  boiler,  or  into  a  large  steam  pipe,  just 
as  well  as  into  a  chimney,  in  which  case  of  course  the 
length  of  the  pipe  c  can  be  greatly  reduced.] 


HOT- WATER  HEATING  OF  A  GREENHOUSE. 
W.  P.,  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  writes: 

"I  have  been  considerably  puzzled  by  hot- water 
heating  work.  In  the  heating  of  a  greenhouse  shown 
by  accompanying  sketch,  where  the  heater  is  10 
inches  below  the  coils  of  radiating  pipes,  there  seems 
to  be  very  poor  circulation.  Can  you  suggest  a  means 
of  improvement  1 " 


[The  coils  below  the  boiler  are  too  small  in  diameter 
for  their  length.  A  circulation  will  go  on,  but  so 
slowly  that  it  will  have  no  appreciable  effect.  Make 
the  pipe  and  coils  all  of  2-inch  pipe  and  it  will  do 
better,  as  more  than  four  times  as  much  water  will 
pass  in  a  given  time  as  with  i-inch  pipe.  If  the  pipe 
and  coil  are  larger  you  will  get  a  better  result  still. 
There  may  be  surface  enough  in  the  coils  as  now  used 
if  they  get  warm,  but  they  will  not  get  warm  enough 
for  any  practical  use  unless  they  are  larger.] 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


TROUBLE   WITH   APPARATUS. 


TRAP  IN  A  HOT- WATER  HEATING  RETURN 

PIPE. 
C.  V.  Z.,  Providence,  R.  I.,  writes: 

"  My  house  is  heated  by  the  indirect  hot-water 
system,  all  of  the  radiators  being  hung  from  the 
basement  ceiling  as  shown  by  the  accompanying 
sketch.  The  cast-iron  heating  radiators  A  are  en- 
cased, outside  air  being  carried  to  them  through  air 
ducts  B.  The  warmed  air  passes  into  the  rooms  on 
the  first  floor  through  a  short  tin  neck  C  C,  and 
register  set  in  the  floor,  and  to  the  second  floor 
through  tin  flues  D  D  set  in  the  partitions  with  regis- 
ters in  the  walls.  The  hot  water  passes  from  the 
boiler  to  a  large  pipe  or  drum  E  which  connects 
together  its  several  sections.  From  this  drum  the 
supply  pipes  F  lead  to  the  several  heating  stacks. 
The  return  pipes  G  G  are  gathered  at  convenient 
points,  one-half  of  them  entering  each  side  of  the 
boiler.  On  one  side  the  return  pipe  is  exposed,  on 
the  other  we  had  to  run  it  under  a  stone  wall  about 
1 8  inches  deep,  as  it  would  have  been  a  hard  job  to 
cut  through  it.  Now  the  heaters  on  the  left-hand 
side  of  the  house  worked  satisfactorily,  but  those  on 
the  right  side  were  a  failure.  We  even  increased 
their  size,  but  their  service  is  not  what  it  should  be. 
Can  you  suggest  the  cause  of  the  trouble  ?  " 

[Whatever  else  may  be  wrong  with  your  apparatus, 
your  sketch  shows  a  very  serious  defect  in  the  diving 
return  pipe  carried  under  the  wall.  We  assume  that 
this  is  the  right-hand  side  of  your  building  and  the 
side  which  has  given  you  trouble.  It  requires  but  a 
small  impediment  to  direct  the  flow  of  hot  water  in 
the  opposite  direction  to  that  laid  down  for  it.  In 
this  case  the  impediment  is  furnished  by  the  colder 
and  heavier  water  in  the  trap  under  the  wall.  The 
conditions  on  the  other  side  of  the  house  are  proper 
and  favorable  for  an  unobstructed  flow.  Disconnect 
from  this  trap  and  connect  the  return  pipe  as  shown 
by  the  dotted  lines  H,  and  if  all  other  conditions  are 
proper  you  will  have  no  farther  trouble  of  this  char- 
acter.] 


IMPAIRED  CIRCULATION  OF  A  HOT- WATER 

HEATING  SYSTEM. 
F.  T.  M.,  New  York,  writes  : 

"  I  inclose  sketch  of  a  part  of  a  hot- water  heating 
apparatus  with  which  I  have  had  a  little  trouble. 
The  sketch  shows  the  sizes  of  pipes  and  radiator.  I 
found  that  the  radiators  marked  A  and  C  worked  all 


the  time,  while  the  circulation  in  B  was  always  very 
feeble.  Can  you  tell  me  what  should  be  done  to 
remedy  this,  and  why  should  the  radiator  C  get 
plenty  of  hot  water  while  B  got  little,  if  any  ?  " 

[We  believe  that  a  i  ^-inch  pipe  is  too  small  to 
supply  the  radiators  shown.  We  would  advise  your 
cutting  out  the  radiator  A  from  the  branch  shown 
and  running  separate  connections  to  the  boiler.  The 
trouble  is  probably  due  to  too  small  pipes,  and 
possibly  to  a  fault  in  the  alignment  at  some  point. 
The  radiator  C  is  favored  by  the  tendency  of  the 
water  to  flow  past  the  tee  through  which  B  draws  its 
supply,  and  also  because  C  is  on  the  second  floor, 
this  giving  a  greater  difference  in  pressure  between 
lower  ends  of  the  return  and  flow  risers.  The  latter 
probably  more  than  compensates  for  the  increased 
triction  due  to  the  longer  length  of  pipe.] 


^^^^\\^^^^i^^^ 


TRAP   IN   A   HOT-WATER    HEATING    RETURN   PIPE. 


284 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


TROUBLE  WITH   A   HOT-WATER  HEATING 

SYSTEM. 

LOCAL  HEATER,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  writes: 
"We  have  just  finished  and  tested  a  hot- water 
heating  system  fora  hospital  where  the  lines  are  run 
about  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  diagram.  This 
is  not  drawn  to  scale,  but  shows  the  arrangement  of 
pipes  and  radiators.  All  the  radiators  are  on  the 
first  floor  except  those  marked  S,  which  are  in  the 
second  story.  The  heater  is  of  a  satisfactory  pattern 
and  of  sufficient  size,  and  the  pipes  are  all  nicely 
pitched  i  inch  every  10  feet.  Their  sizes  are  in- 
creased above  the  first  design,  and  the  change  was 
approved  by  an  experienced  designer.  All  the  lines 
marked  A  work  to  perfection  but  the  5-inch  line  does 
not  work  satisfactorily  near  the  end.  The  line  B 
seems  to  feed  through  the  return  pipe.  Tank  C  is 


[The  system  of  flow  pipes  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying diagram  appears  to  be  ample,  and  is  very 
evenly  proportioned.  The  lengths  of  course  are  not 
given,  but  we  assume  the  runs  are  not  excessively 
long.  The  arrangement  of  the  6-inch  pipe  into  the 
6"x4"xs"  tee  favors  the  4-inch  run  of  pipe  by  the 
direction  of  flow  being  past  the  s-inch  branch.  In 
like  manner,  if  your  return  pipes  are  exact  counter- 
part of  the  flow  pipe  the  4-inch  return  will  also  be 
favored.  This  may  make  sufficient  hindrance  to  the 
5-inch  circuit  as  to  cause  the  dead  ends  D  and  D. 
Assuming  therefore  that  the  alignment  is  perfect  in 
all  parts,  and  that  "  air  traps  "  do  not  exist,  we  see 
but  little  the  matter  with  the  apparatus.  But  as. 


80° 


100°' 


60°' 


TROUBLE  WITH   A  HOT-WATER   HEATING   SYSTEM. 


on  the  return  pipe,  and  there  is  a  small  radiator  on 
its  line.  From  tank  C  to  line  B  both  the  feed  and 
return  pipes  are  hot  on  top  and  almost  cold  on  the 
under  side.  The  radiators  D  all  get  cold  when  the 
temperature  of  the  water  falls  below  140°  Fahr. 
When  we  close  the  hot-radiator  valves  on  the  s-inch 
line,  the  radiators  D  all  get  hot,  but  cool  off  as  soon 
as  the  others  are  turned  on  again. 

"  Has  the  return  pipe  too  much  fall  or  are  the 
pipes  too  large  ?  Heretofore  we  have  never  found 
pipes  too  large,  but  rather  too  small.  This  is  the 
first  trouble  we  have  had  in  37  jobs,  and  we  are 
anxious  to  have  your  opinion  of  the  defect  so  that  we 
can  correct  it  immediately  and  make  the  entire  plant 
work  properly." 


trouble  does  exist  we  would  favor  the  s-inch  return 
by  cutting  it  from  the  6-inch  pipe  and  taking  it  into 
the  boiler  separately.  In  like  manner  we  would 
favor  the  s-inch  flow,  either  by  taking  it  direct  from 
the  boiler,  or  by  changing  the  pipes  so  as  to  give  it 
the  direct  flow  or  at  least  putting  the  6-inch  pipe  into 
a  '•  bull-head  "  tee.  Were  it  not  that  the  ends  of  two 
branches  give  trouble  and  two  more  do  not  we  would 
advise  you  to  look  for  a  partial  stoppage  in  the  s-inch 
pipe.  We  know  of  a  case  where  a  piece  of  scantling 
was  taken  from  a  piece  of  6-inch  pipe  not  long 
ago.] 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


ONE-PIPE   HOT-WATER  JOBS. 


ONE-PIPE  HOT- WATER  JOBS. 

T.  F.  E.,  Gloversville,  N.  Y.,  writes: 

"  Will  a  hot-water  job  constructed  on  the  one-pipe 
system  work?  By  a  one-pipe  system  I  mean,  to 
have  a  flow  pipe  carried  around  the  cellar  and  back 
to  the  boiler,  and  to  take  hot  water  from  the  top  of 
the  pipe  to  supply  radiators  and  connect  into  the 
side  of  the  same  line.  I  have  never  tried  this,  and  as 
I  am  thinking  something  about  doing  it  I  thought  1 
would  write  to  you  first  for  your  opinion." 

[A  one-pipe  job  as  you  show  it,  which  means  a 
circulation  or  large  pipe  around  the  basement  from 
which  you  take  a  flow  pipe  on  top  and  a  return  run- 
ning into  the  side,  will  work.  Hood,  in  his  work  on 
the  "Warming  and  Ventilation  of  Buildings,"  de- 
scribes a  one-pipe  system  of  this  class.  Of  course  it 
is  not  a  strictly  one-pipe  system,  as  there  is  both  a 


flow  and  return  to  every  radiator,  and  when  the  cir- 
culation through  the  basement  is  of  large  diameter 
the  circulation  becomes  practically  a  part  of  the 
boiler,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  a  good  circulation 
should  not  go  on  in  the  radiators.  The  mistake 
made  with  these  so-called  one-pipe  systems  is  that 
the  circulation  around  the  basement  is  pipe  of  an 
ordinary  diameter,  so  that  the  quantity  of  water  flow- 
ing through  the  circulation  in  a  given  time  is 
materially  reduced  in  temperature,  in  which  case 
each  successive  radiator,  starting  from  the  boiler, 
musr  have  a  mean  temperature  lower  than  the  one 
just  preceding  it.  With  small  jobs  and  few  radiators 
this  difference  may  not  be  appreciable,  but  in  work 
of  any  considerable  magnitude  the  radiators  furthest 
from  the  boiler  are  very  much  too  cool,  and  hence 
you  would  have  an  impaired  circulation.] 


FUEL   CONSUMPTION. 


EXCESSIVE  FUEL  CONSUMPTION  IN  A  HOT- 
WATER    HEATER. 
ARCHITECT.  BUFFALO,  N.  Y..  writes: 

' '  One  of  my  clients  has  the  novel  experience  of 
burning  a  ton  and  a  half  of  hard  coal  a  week  in  a  hot- 
water  heater  rated  to  carry  1,300  feet  of  radiating 
surface.  There  are  less  than  900  feet  in  radiators, 
and  including  piping  about  1,100  feet.  The  ther- 
mometer registers  from  120  degrees  to  130  degrees. 
Circulation  and  radiation  seem  to  be  perfect,  but  the 
heat  seems  to  go  up  the  chimney.  The  smoke  pipe 
is  connected  with"  two  flues  to  increase  draft,  9x13- 
inch  and  gxg-inch  flues,  yet  the  draft  seems  sluggish, 
so  that  the  ashpit  door  is  open  most  of  the  time.  Do 
you  think  draft  is  to  blame,  or  is  the  boiler?  With 
good  or  bad  draft,  is  it  possible  to  burn  a  ton  and  a 
half  of  coal  a  week  with  no  better  results  if  the  boiler 
is  not  at  fault?" 

[Your  client  is  burning  pretty  nearly  double  the 
amount  of  coal  that  he  should  in  the  apparatus  men- 
tioned. The  combustion  in  the  heater  is  not  com- 
plete, as  destructive  distillation  is  probably  going  on 
in  your  furnace  causing  a  large  amount  of  carbonic 
oxide  to  pass  up  the  chimney  unconsumed.  We  do 
not  think  that  he  should  use  the  two  flues  mentioned, 
as  the  results  thus  obtained  are  seldom  satisfactory. 


If  one  is  not  sufficient,  use  the  other,  but  knock  out 
the  partition  between  them. 

As  to  the  quantity  of  coal  burned,  you  say  that  he 
uses  1 1/2,  tons,  or  3,000  pounds,  a  week  With  a  well- 
proportioned  hot-water  apparatus  he  ought  to  realize 
12,000  heat  units  from  each  pound  of  coal  burned  in 
a  hot-water  apparatus,  or  36,000,000  heat  units  from 
3,000  pounds.  We  will  now  compare  this  with  the 
heat  ordinarily  radiated.  Baldwin's  "Hot- Water 
Heating  and  Steam  Fitting"  says  that  2  heat  units 
will  be  radiated  from  a  square  foot  of  surface  for 
every  degree  difference  between  the  temperature  of 
the  water  and  the  temperature  of  the  room.  You 
have  1,100  square  feet  of  surface,  and  the  difference 
between  the  water  (125  degrees)  and  the  room  (70  de- 
grees) will  be  55  degrees.  Hence  in  one  hour  you 
will  radiate  1,100  X  2  X  55  =  121,000  heat  units,  and 
in  a  week  20,328,000  heat  units.  But  at  the  rate  of 
combustion  stated  (i  ^  tons  per  week)  your  heater 
ought  to  furnish  36,000,000  heat  units  in  a  week,  but 
as  only  20,328,000  are  needed  to  heat  the  building, 
the  difference,  about  43  per  cent.,  is  evidently  going 
to  waste  up  the  chimney  in  the  form  of  unconsumed 
gases.]'  .  >  •  • 


286 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


HEATING   BELOW  THE   BOILER   LEVEL. 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  ON  THREE  FLOORS. 

ROBERT  E.  MORRIS,  2138  North  Thirty-second 
Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  writes: 

"  I  have  noticed  the  articles  in  THE  ENGINEERING 
RECORD  on  hot-water  heating  at  the  boiler  level, 
and  would  like  your  views  regarding  a  job  on  three 
floors,  with  radiators  on  each  floor,  which  seems  to 
me  to  be  a  more  difficult  piece  of  work  and  one  in 
which  failure  of  circulation  would  be  liable  to  occur. 
The  ratio  is:  Basement,  i  in  30;  first  floor,  i  in  37; 
second  floor,  i  in  48;  total  amount  of  radiation,  468 
square  feet." 

f 

[We  never  advise  putting  radiators  below  or  even 

on  the  same  floor  with  a  hot- water  heating  apparatus. 
If,  however,  it  must  be  done,  it  can  only  be  accom- 
plished, and  then  with  only  medium  satisfaction,  by 
exceedingly  large  piping. 

If  the  problem  is  given  us  to  run  the  piping  for  the 
radiators  as  shown  in  the  sketch,  we  would  start 
with  a  4-inch  circuit  from  the  top  of  the  boiler  and 
run  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  lower  story,  drop  to 
the  floor,  and  return  to  the  boiler,  all  with  4-inch 
pipe.  This  will  make  a  4-inch  circuit,  through  which 
the  water  will  flow  with  more  or  less  velocity.  From 
this  4-inch  main  we  would  rise  with  ij^-inch  as  far 
as  the  first  radiator  and  i-inch  pipe  from  there  to  the 
second  radiators,  the  return  pipes  being  similar  but 
carried  down  to  the  main  return  on  the  lower  floor  or 
under  it.  In  the  case  of  three  radiators  on  the  lower 
floor  we  would  supply  each  with  a  2-inch  pipe,  going 
into  the  top  of  the  radiator  with  a  2-inch  return  pipe 


at  the  other  end  of  the  radiator,  connecting  with  the 
4-inch  circuit  at  or  under  the  floor.  For  details  see 
sketch.] 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  AT  THE  BOILER 

LEVEL. 
J.  A.  F.,  Boston,  Mass.,  writes: 

"  In  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  of  November, 
25,  1893,  I  noticed  the  remarks  of  J.  W.  H.,  of  Mon- 
treal, in  regard  to  connecting  hot-water  radiators  on 
the  same  level  as  the  boiler.  I  beg  to  disagree  with 
J.  W.  H.  as  to  his  methods  of  connecting  radiators, 
and  would  suggest  to  any  fitters  who  are  practicing 


f 

d 

6 

T-:-,:^,: 

HOT-WATER   HEATING  ON  THREE   FLOORS. 


heating  by  hot  water,  that  when  they  have  any  work 
to  do  where  the  radiators  are  to  be  set  upon  the  same 
level  as  the  boiler,  that  they  connect  the  pipes  that 
drop  from  the  overhead  main  pipe,  and  marked  on 
plan  shown,  G  G  G,  connecting  them  into  the  top  of 
the  radiators  instead  of  the  bottom. 

"  J  W.  H.  is  aware  that  in  Montreal  a  box  coil  for 
hot  water  would  be  connected  at  the  top  instead  of 
the  bottom.  Why  not  a  radiator?  I  know  the  habit 
has  become  general  among  manufacturers  of  hot- 
water  radiators  to  tap  them  at  the  bottom,  but  they 
are  usually  to  be  used  for  connection  above  the 
boiler;  but  as  above  stated,  when  a  job  of  overhead 
piping  is  to  be  done,  and  radiation  is  to  be  placed  on 
the  same  level  as  the  boiler,  if  the  radiators  are  con- 
nected at  the  top  they  will  be  found  to  have  a  more 
positive  circulation,  and  very  much  quicker  action, 
than  when  connected  at  the  bottom."  It  stands  to 
reason  that  radiators  connected  at  the  bottom  stand 
full  of  water  of  a  higher  specific  gravity,  consequently 
the  water  in  the  radiator  heats  only  by  diffusion  and 
not  positive  circulation.  By  connecting  the  radia- 
tors at  the  top  the  hot  water  is  allowed  to  enter  and 
the  cooler  water  falls  into  the  return  pipe,  and  by  its 
own  specific  gravity  finds  its  way  back  to  the  heater. 
I  think  J.  W.  H.  will  agree  with  me  that  in  con- 
necting hot-water  radiators  at  the  top  it  is  the  right 
principle,  especially  in  this  case,  and  as  we  are  try- 
ing to  educate  the  fitting  fraternity  to  do  hot-water 
heating  properly  and  get  the  best  results,  I  trust  my 
suggestion  will  he  in  order.  I  inclose  you  sketch 
which  I  would  like  to  have  you  print  with  my  letter, 
showing  my  way  of  connecting  the  radiators.  In  it 
A  is  the  tank;  B,  the  air  pipe;  C,  the  return  bend; 
D,  the  flow  pipe;  E  the  return;  F,  the  main;  G  G  G, 
branches;  H  H  H,  radiators;  I,  return  main;  J, 
emptying  cock;  and  K  K  K,  valves. 

'"I  agree  with  J.  W.  H.  that  there  is  no  difficulty 
in  having  hot-water  radiators  circulate  on  the  same 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


287 


level  as  the  boiler,  if  connected  as  shown  in  my 
sketch  and  with  ordinary  size  mains.  I  presume  he 
meant  a  2-inch  main  would  carry  radiation  up  to  400 
feet,  and  so  on  in  proportion.  I  have  had  as  high  as 
400  feet  of  radiation  on  a  continuous  2-inch  main 
overhead  pipe,  and  found  it  to  give  the  very  best  of 
satisfaction." 


HOT- WATER  RADIATORS   ON  A   LEVEL 
WITH  BOILER. 

ARCHITECT,  of  Cairo,  111.,  writes: 

"  Can  a  hot- water  heater  be  set  up  as  well  on  a 
level  with  the  ground  floor — that  is,  in  the  first  story 
of  a  house,  as  in  the  basement  or  cellar  ?  Can  it 
work  to  as  good  advantage  in  heating  the  first  and 
second  stories  ?  In  this  town  there  are  no  cellars." 

[In  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  of  July  12,  1890, 
we  show  an  arrangement  of  securing  circulation 
through  hot-water  radiators  placed  below  the  level  of 
the  boiler.  The  flow  pipe  from  the  boiler  is  first 
carried  up  some  distance,  in  this  case  to  the  top  of 
the  first  story,  and  is  then  brought  down  to  supply 
the  radiators. 

The  plan  has  given  entire  satisfaction.  The  same 
method  is  frequently  applied  where  indirect  hot- 
water  heating  is  employed,  and  where  the  indirect 
radiators  are  only  slightly  above  the  level  of  the  top 
of  the  boiler.  The  working  conditions  of  such  radia- 
tors correspond  very  nearly  with  those  on  "  Archi- 
tect's" first  floor,  the  boiler  and  radiators  there  being 
on  the  same  level.  If  our  correspondent,  therefore, 
will  apply  the  principle  illustrated  in  our  former 
issue  he  will  have  no  trouble  in  getting  proper  circu- 
lation in  his  first-floor  radiators.  The  second-story 
radiators  call  for  no  special  considerations,  and  ought 
to  work  well  when  connected  in  the  customary 
manner.  We  would  suggest,  however,  that  inde- 
pendent circuits  be  used  for  each  story.  With  this 
arrangement  each  set  of  radiators  will  have  its  own 
main  flow  and  return  pipe,  and  there  will  be  no  oppor- 
tunity for  the  upper  radiators  to  circulate  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  lower  ones  ] 


HOT-WATER   RADIATORS   ON  A   LEVEL 
WITH  THE  BOILER. 

WILLIAM  J.  BALDWIN,  New  York,  writes: 

"  In  your  issue  of  August  9,  1890,  '  Architect '  asks: 
'  Can  a  hot-water  heater  be  set  up  as  well  on  a  level 
with  the  ground  floor — that  is,  in  the  first  story  of  a 
house  as  in  the  basement  or  cellar?  Can  it  work  to 
as  good  advantage  in  heating  the  first  and  second 
stories  ?  In  this  town  there  are  no  cellars.' 

"  In  reply,  you  say  in  your  issue  of  July  12,  1890: 
'  We  show  an  arrangement  of  securing  circulation 
through  hot- water  radiators  placed  below  the  level  of 
the  boiler.  The  flow  pipe  from  the  boiler  is  first 
carried  up  some  distance,  in  this  case  to  the  top  of 
the  first  story,  and  is  then  brought  down  to  supply 
the  radiators. 

"  '  The  plan  has  given  entire  satisfaction.    * 
The  working  conditions  of  such  radiators  correspond 
very  nearly  with  those  on  '  Architect's '  first  floor,  the 
boiler  and  radiators  there  being  on  the  same  level. 
If  our  correspondent,  therefore,  will  apply  the  prin- 


ciple illustrated  in  our  former  issue  he  will  have  no 
trouble  in  getting  proper  circulation  in  his  first-floor 
radiators.' 

"You  evidently  do  not  intend  to  convey  the  idea 
that  the  plan  will  give  as  good  results  as  a  circulation 
above  the  boiler.  Still  this  is  the  construction  many 
of  your  readers  will  be  apt  to  apply  to  it;  hence  my 
letter  to  you  on  the  subject. 

| 'When  you  tell  your  correspondent  to  apply  the 
principles  shown  in  your  issue  of  July  12,  and  tell 
him  he  will  have  no  trouble  in  getting  proper  circula- 
tion, of  course  you  mean  that  he  will  get  as  good 
circulation  as  can  be  expected  under  such  conditions, 
always  assuming,  of  course,  that  his  pipes  are 
properly  run  and  sufficiently  large.  Circulation  be- 
low the  boiler  is  seldom  satisfactory.  It  is  always 
sluggish  and  requires  very  much  more  heating  sur- 
face to  accomplish  a  given  result  than  would  be  re- 
quired for  similar  conditions  when  the  boiler  can  be 
below  the  heaters.  My  advice  to  '  Architect '  is  not 
to  do  it  if  there  is  any  other  way  out  of  the  difficulty. 

"  Would  it  not  be  better  to  put  coils  near  the  ceil- 
ings ?" 

[From  the  nature  of  "Architect's"  inquiry,  we 
took  it  for  granted  that  he  contemplated  a  job  in 
which  the  lowest  radiators  had  to  be  used  either  on  a 
level  with  the  boiler  or  not  at  all.  In  our  reply  we 
therefore  attempted  to  show  how  the  problem  could 
be  solved  under  such  unfavorable  conditions.  As 
Mr.  Baldwin  points  out,  they  are  to  be  avoided  if  in 
any  way  possible.] 


PIPING    FOR   HOT  WATER   RADIATORS   ON 

BOILER    LEVEL. 
A.  T.  ROGERS,  New  York,  writes: 

"This  question  has  been  asked  me  two  or  three 
times  within  a  few  weeks,  as  a  test  question: 

"  Supposing  a  building  to  be  heated  by  hot  water, 
in  which  it  is  necessary  to  place  one  or  more  radiators 
on  the  same  floor  as  the  heater  and  others  on  upper 
floors,  and  in  which  doors,  etc.,  prevent  the  running 
of  the  return  pipes  along  the  wall  above  the  floor.  If 
the  return  pipes  drop  below  the  floor,  there  is  pro- 
duced a  pocket  of  colder  water  below  the  bottom  of 
the  heater,  which  will  tend  to  lie  stagnant.  How  will 
you  overcome  it  ? 

"The  solution  proposed  by  the  questioner  was 
this:  From  the  point  where  the  flow  pipe  drops  to  the 
radiators  on  the  lower  floor  run  a  single  i-inch  pipe 
up  to  the  level  of  the  expansion  tank;  this  will  give  a 
head  which  will  overcome  the  stagnant  pocket  before 
mentioned. 

"  Now,  to  speak  plainly,  I  don't  see  it.  I  think 
that  the  single  pipe  running  upwards  is  a  waste  of 
material,  for  no  head  is  produced  by  it  that  was  not 
already  there,  due  to  the  height  of  the  expansion 
tank.  But  if  the  main  for  the  lower  floor  be  run  up 
full  size  to  just  below  the  level  of  the  tank,  with  an 
air  cock  or  air  pipe  at  its  highest  point,  and  then  run 
down  again  to  the  radiators,  we  have  a  high  column 
of  cooler  water  overbalancing  a  column  of  warmer 
water,  and  which  would  tend  to  overcome  the  cold 
pocket  below  the  heater.  Upon  my  suggesting  the 
double  pipe,  as  above,  my  questioner  rejected  it  be- 
cause of  the  expense,  substituting  the  single  i-inch 
pipe.  I  have  never  heard  of  a  job  done  as  he  sug- 
gested, but  have  seen  a  job  near  New  York  where 
this  condition  exists,  and  where  the  connection  is 
like  this — upward  from  the  horizontal  main  at  45 
degrees,  then  horizontal,  then  vertically  downwards 
to  radiator.  I  have  not  seen  this  job  work,  but  am 
told  by  the  fitter  who  did  the  work  that  the  radiator 


288 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


on  the  lower  floor  worked  as  quickly  as  any  on  upper 
floors. 

"  I  have  seen  jobs  where  the  return  has  risen  from 
the  radiator  to  pass  over  doors,  etc.,  dropping  again 
to  the  heater,  and  when  the  descending  leg  of  the 
syphon  was  the  longer  the  circulation  was  generally 
good.  In  all  such  cases  as  those  I  have  mentioned 
care  is  needed  to  favor  difficult  branches  as  against 
those  having  straight  upward  runs. 

"  I  should  like  to  hear  the  experience  of  others,  as 
these  are  somewhat  frequent  problems." 

[A  dip,  or  a  "  trap,"  below  a  doorway,  or  in  cross- 
ing a  hallway  or  other  passage,  is  a  very  common 
occurrence  in  hot-water  apparatus.  They  should  be 
avoided  if  possible,  but  when  unavoidable  they  may 
be  used,  and,  unless  an  air  pocket  is  formed  that  will 
become  air-bound,  they  offer  very  little  obstruction 
to  the  flow  of  the  water.  A  very  feeble  circulation 
may  be  stopped  or  further  impaired  by  it,  but  a 


good  circulation,  with  ample  diameter  of  piping,  will 
go  on  unless  the  air  stops  it. 

A  i -inch  pipe,  run  from  the  stagnant  pocket  to  the 
expansion  tank,  cannot  increase  the  head  and  will 
not  help  the  circulation  directly.  It  may  act  as  an 
air  pipe,  however,  in  some  particular  case  and  the 
person  rinding  the  circulation  improved  attribute  the 
result  to  the  wrong  cause.  A  pipe  carried  up  and 
down  again  as  you  propose  will  add  something  to  the 
force  of  circulation.  Its  value,  however,  is  over- 
rated, as  the  "down"  side  must  have  nearly  the 
same  temperature  as  the  "  up  "  leg  if  the  circulation 
is  rapid.  In  special  cases  it  helps,  but  a  well- 
designed  job  will  not  be  benefited  by  it.  Carrying 
the  return  pipe  over  obstacles  is  not  good.  It  can  be 
done,  however,  but  care  must  be  taken  to  take  off  the 
air  at  every  point."] 


EXPANSION   TANKS. 


DANGER  FROM  CLOSED  HOT-WATER 

APPARATUS. 

No  SAFETY  VALVE,  Boston,  Mass.,  writes: 
"I  noticed  an  article  in  your  valuable  paper  of 
December  24,  1887,  in  which  you  show  a  diagram  of 
an  expansion  tank  for  a  hot-water  heating  apparatus, 
explaining  the  danger  of  running  under  pressure,  or 
with  a  closed  tank  having  a  safety  valve  attached. 
I  have  followed  the  vocation  of  steam  and  hot-water 
heating  engineer  for  years,  and  in  that  time  have  had 
a  large  practical  experience  in  erecting  low-pressure 
hot- water  heating  apparatus.  As  a  great  many 


fitters  have  an  erroneous  idea  that  it  is  necessary  to 
run  a  hot-water  heating  apparatus  under  pressure, 
and  as  I  have  known  many  accidents  to  occur  by 
closing  the  expansion  tank  from  the  atmosphere, 
such  as  the  breaking  of  the  radiators  and  boilers  (al! 
of  good  make),  and  as  fitters,  generally  speaking,  are 
to  a  certain  extent  ignorant  of  the  principles  involved 
in  hot- water  circulation,  I  take  the  opportunity  of 
writing,  with  the  hope  that  it  may  be  read  by  those 


who  are  doing  hot-water  fitting;  with  the  assurance 
that  if  their  work  is  done  upon  the  low-pressure  sys- 
tem (by  having  the  tank  open  to  the  atmosphere,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  i)  they  will  run  no  risk  of  danger. 

"  By  way  of  example  I  inclose  you  a  sketch  (Fig  2) 
showing  the  connection  of  an  expansion  tank  to  a 
hot-water  apparatus,  in  which  a  radiator  and  heater 
were  broken;  the  fitter  who  did  the  work  was  evi- 
dently not  aware  of  the  danger  of  confining  the  water 
by  using  a  safety  valve  to  take  care  of  the  increment 
of  pressure,  and  to  show  the  danger  of  doing  work  in 
this  manner  I  would  state,  that  supposing  the  expan- 
sion tank  to  be  set  up  in  the  manner  herein  shown 
(Fig.  2),  and  the  safety  valve  on  the  tank  loaded  to 
10  pounds  pressure,  it  is  equivalent  to  adding  23  feet 
to  the  height  of  the  apparatus  so  tar  as  pressure  is 
concerned,  thus  making  the  pressure  in  a  three- story 
house  30  feet  high,  25  pounds  to  the  square  inch  in 
round  numbers. 

"Having  conducted  some  experiments  the  past 
winter  as  to  the  amount  of  pressure  obtainable  in  a 
closed  apparatus,  I  find  in  a  tank  3  feet  high  and  12 
inches  in  diameter,  placed  at  the  height  of  30  feet 
above  the  boiler  and  closed  to  the  atmosphere,  that 
with  the  water  line  in  the  tank  i  foot  from  the  bot- 
tom at  (A,  Fig.  3)  the  pressure  was  15  pounds,  and 
at  (B)  30  pounds;  at  (C)  45  pounds;  at  (I)  105  pounds; 
at  (F)  225  pounds;  all  extra  pressure,  and  as  yet  the 
water  had  not  reached  a  temperature  of  212°  Fahr. , 
so  you  see  what  an  enormous  pressure  can  be  put  on 
a  hot-water  heating  apparatus  by  using  a  closed 
tank. 

' '  The  pressure  is  from  the  compression  of  air  in 
the  top  of  the  tank,  caused  by  the  expansion  of  the 
water,  and  as  the  expansive  power  of  water  is 
irresistible,  it  goes  without  saying  that  '  a  word  to 
the  wise  is  sufficient.'  .Some  fitters  have  an  idea  that 
a  closed  apparatus  will'  circulate  better  than  an  open 
one,  which  is  erroneous,  as  practically  all  that  can  be 
gained  by  running  under  pressure  is  a  little  more 
heat  at  the  radiators,  and  of  course  this  is  not  ob- 
tained without  heavy  firing  and  necessary  increase 
in  the  consumption  of  fuel.  A  closed  apparatus 
under  pressure  Js  therefore  of  no  practical  service 
unless  you  desire  to  raise  the  temperature  ot  the 
water  over  212°  Fahr.,  and  makes  an  apparatus, 
which  is  otherwise  safe  in  every  respect,  absolutely 
dangerous  by  confining  the  water.  If  fitters  will 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


take  advice,  when  doing  low-pressure  hot-water 
heating,  and  leave  their  expansion  tank  open  to  the 
atmosphere,  they  would  save  themselves  a  large 
amount  of  annoyance  and  anxiety. 

"By  low-pressure  hot- water  heating  is  meant  that 
which  is  operated  under  the  pressure  due  to  the  col- 
umn of  water  only,  and  usually  heated  to  any  point 


less  than  212  degrees,  and  the  ordinary  working  tem- 
perature is  from  180°  to  200°  Fahr." 

[So  little  can  be  gained  in  the  temperature  of  a 
closed  apparatus  without  approaching  a  dangerous 
pressure  that  it  should  not  be  resorted  to  in  private 
house  heating. 

For  drying  purposes,  or  where  a  high  temperature 
is  actually  necessary,  then  it  must  be  resorted  to  if 
water  is  the  heating  medium. 

In  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  of  December  24, 
1887,  we  discussed  this  subject  very  thoroughly  and 
gave  a  diagram  of  pressures  for  different  tempera- 
tures where  the  tank  was  one-twentieth  the  capacity 
of  the  pipes  and  boilers. 


-\ 

-c 


The  safety  valve,  however,  must  be  resorted  to  on 
all  closed  apparatus,  and  in  such  cases  the  tank 
should  be  about  one-tenth  the  cubic  capacity  of  all 
the  pipes  and  boiler,  and  the  coils  and  boiler  should 
be  special  so  as  to  bear  the  high  pressure. 

In  the  diagram,  Fig.  3,  the  increase  of  pressure 
does  not  seem  to  agree  with  the  law  ot  the  compres- 
sion of  air  at  constant  temperature.  It  probably  so 


happened  in  practice,  however,  that  the  temperature 
did  not  remain  constant  and  that  the  gauge  was  near 
the  boiler,  so  that  it  had  a  constant  head  of  water  of 
about  15  pounds  at  the  start  to  be  deducted  from  the 
gauge  reading  to  show  the  pressure  of  the  air  in  the 
tank.] 


EXPANSION-TANK  CONNECTION. 

GREENHORN.  York,  Pa.,  writes: 

"  The  question  for  proper  connection  for  expansion 
tanks  in  hot- water  heating  apparatus  is  one  requiring 
considerable  attention  and  study  in  order  to  secure 
the  best  results.  We  notice  in  your  paper  several  in- 
quiries and  answers  in  regard  to  this  matter.  We 
have  found  in  experience  that  the  greatest  difficulty 
to  be  overcome  is  to  prevent  the  water  in  the  boiler 
and  radiators  from  being  driven  out  by  the  formation 
of  steam.  Even  when  the  pipe  connection  from  the 
heater  to  the  tank  is  taken  directly  from  the  top  of 


W/V/V/V/V 

EXPANSION-TANK   CONNECTION. 

the  boiler,  and  run  to  the  tank  without  any  other 
connections,  we  have  had  trouble  from  the  apparatus 
forcing  water  out  at  the  overflow.  Recently,  in  erect- 
ing a  very  complete  job  in  a  large  residence,  we  made 
connections  to  the  tank  as  shown  in  the  inclosed 
sketch.  The  object  was  to  have  the  steam,  should 
any  be  formed,  pass  out  at  the  pipe  marked  at  S. 
The  expansion  tank,  as  you  will  notice,  is  provided 
with  a  float  and  valve  to  supply  water  automatically 
from  the  street  main.  The  connection  from  the  ex- 
pansion tank  connects  into  the  main  return  pipe  as 
shown,  and  the  steam,  or  relief  pipe,  is  taken  from  a 
tee  on  the  main  flow  pipe  as  shown.  Now  it  would 
appear  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  steam  when 
formed  would  escape  through  this  relief  pipe.  In 
firing  up  the  apparatus,  however,  and  running  the 
temperature  up  to  the  boiling  point,  we  were  sur- 
prised to  find  the  water  forced  into  the  expansion 
tank  and  out  at  the  overflow  in  place  of  passing  out 
at  the  relief  pipe.  The  overflow  in  the  expansion 
tank  is  about  12  inches  lower  than  the  top  of  the  relief 
pipe,  which  might  possibly  be  the  difficulty.  We 
might  add,  that  when  the  water  was  being  forced  out 
of  the  overflow  pipe  from  the  expansion  tank  that  the 
radiators  on  the  second  floor  worked  dry  steam,  and 
no  steam  appeared  to  be  coming  through  the  overflow 
pipe,  and  the  relief  pipe  showed  neither  steam  nor 
water  at  the  outer  end.  The  relief  pipe  having  such 


290 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


a  direct  connection  from  the  tee  on  top  of  the  heater 
should,  in  our  opinion,  give  steam  before  the  water 
would  be  forced  up  into  the  expansion  tank  through  the 
return  pipe,  which  is  6  feet  lower  than  the  flow  pipe. 
"Please  give  us  your  views  on  this  question." 

[The  difference  in  level  between  the  overflow  in 
the  expansion  tank  and  the  top  of  the  relief  pipe  S  is, 
in  a  measure,  objectionable,  but  cannot  be  held 
accountable  for  the  difficulty.  We  are  inclined  to 
think  that  the  pipe  S  is  not  run  up  directly  as  shown 
in  the  sketch,  but  probably  pursues  a  more  round- 
about course.  If  this  be  the  case  it  is  not  unlikely 
that  an  air  trap  is  formed  somewhere  in  the  line  of 
the  pipe.  This  would  tend  to  entirely  defeat  the 
purpose  of  the  pipe,  its  small  diameter  also  working 
against  it.  We  would  advise  a  careful  examination 
of  this  pipe  S  with  a  view  of  detecting  any  possible 
air  trap.  Where  an  obstruction  is  to  be  run  around, 
or  where,  for  any  reason,  the  pipe  departs  from  a 
vertical  line,  it  requires  but  little  miscalculation  in 
the  pitch  to  create  trouble.  A  downward  grade  at 
any  point  should  be  carefully  avoided.  We  would 
suggest,  also,  that  some  obstruction  may  have  en- 
tered the  pipe  S  and  blocked  the  passage.  In  any 
event  we  do  not  see  why  the  pipe  S  was  not  let 
directly  to  the  expansion  tank  instead  of  using  it  as  a 
relief  and  connecting  the  tank  with  the  return  main 
by  another  pipe.  This  plan  would  certainly  have 
been  simpler.  There  may  have  been  some  objection 
to  this  which  is  not  apparent  from  the  sketch  and 
particulars.  The  boiler,  also,  is  very  probably  too 
large  for  its  work,  imparting  to  the  water  an  unneces- 
sarily high  temperature  and  creating  a  constant  ten- 
dency to  form  steam.  With  the  pipe  S  unobstructed, 
and  run  in  a  direct  line  as  shown  in  the  sketch,  we 
can  see  no  reason  why  it  should  not  efficiently  serve 
its  purpose  as  a  relief.] 


POSITION    OF    EXPANSION    TANK   IN    HOT- 
WATER  HEATING  APPARATUS. 
JOHN  C.  FEBIGER,  Jr.,   of  the  New  Orleans,  La., 
Railway  and  Mill  Supply  Company,  writes: 

"  I  inclose  herewith  a  sketch  of  a. heating  appara- 
tus, and  would  like  to  hear  from  your  correspondents 
in  regard  to  the  position  of  the  e'xpansion  tank  con- 
nected with  this  apparatus.  Baldwin,  in  his  '  Hot- 
Water  Heating,'  treats  extensively  of  expansion 
tanks,  but  only  with  boilers  using  one  flow  pipe. 
The  boiler  used  in  the  apparatus  referred  to  is  the 
'  Plaxton '  boiler,  from  which  there  are  five  flow 
pipes.  This  boiler  is  capable  of  carrying  about  200 
feet  more  radiation  surface  than  is  now  attached  to 
it,  and  with  excessive  firing  the  boiler  is  liable  to 
make  steam.  I  would  like  to  hear  some  comments 
on  the  position  of  the  tank  as  shown,  and  to  hear 
from  some  of  your  correspondents  what  they  would 
do  in  this  case  to  prevent  the  formation  of  steam  in 
such  quantities  as  to  drive  the  water  out  of  the 
radiators  and  pipes.  My  idea  is  that  this  expansion 
tank  should  be  connected  with  the  boiler  through  a 
manifold  connection  from  each  one  ot  the  45-degree 
elbows  connected  to  flow  pipes.  With  such  an  ar- 
rangement the  steam  forming  in  the  boiler  could 
be  readily  carried  off  through  tne  expansion  tank, 
whether  closed  or  open,  provided  the  closed  system 
had  a  low-pressure  safety  valve  attached  to  same." 

[Connection  of  the  boiler  with  the  expansion  tank 
by  means  of  the  pipe  E  in  the  manner  shown  in  the 


5 


L,evc  I  Jo  r  J~Lct.cfi.ct  fir  rx 


sketch  is  not  to  be  commended,  since  with  this  ar- 
rangement it  becomes  possible  to  drive  all  the  water 
out  of  the  boiler  if  steam  be  formed  in  sufficient 
quantity.  In  Mr.  Baldwin's  book  on  "  Hot-Water 
Heating  "  attention  is  directed  to  this  circumstance 
on  page  307.  The  expansion  tank  pipe  should  be 
taken  from  the  highest  possible  point  of  the  boiler, 
and  while  the  arrangement  suggested  by  our  cor- 
respondent,  and  shown  in  dotted  lines,  would  answer, 
it  seems  to  us  a  needlessly  complicated  one.  We 
would  advise  taking  a  branch  from  one  of  the  flow 
pipes,  F,  to  the  expansion  tank,  or,  if  all  the  flow, 
pipes  from  the  boiler  are  required  for  hot-water 
distribution,  to  use  one  of  them  directly  as  a  tank 
pipe.  We  have  no  doubt  that  all  the  trouble  from 
steam  formation  will  be  overcome  in  this  way.] 


CONNECTION  TO  AN  EXPANSION  TANK. 
C.  B.  B.,  of  New  York  writes: 

"  In  reply  to  C.  M.,  of  Hamilton,   Ont.,    I  do  not 
think  you  have  made  your  answer  full  enough  to  be 


ff- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


291 


clearly  understood  by  some  men  who  may  be  called 
upon  to  fit  up  hot-water  heating  apparatus,  and  who 
do  not  know  as  much  about  the  matter  as  you  do. 

"  I  inclose  the  sketch  which  is  the  subject  of  this 
controversy  and  have  applied  the  proper  connections 
to  insure  successful  circulation.  I  have  also  placed  a 
free  open  way  radiator  valve  on  the  coil  in  its  proper 
position  if  a  valve  is  required." 

[The  pipe  A  and  the  valve  V  are  those  supplied  by 
our  correspondent.  The  pipe  A  is  an  air  vent  and 


also  a  steam -escape  pipe,  should  steam  form  through 
overfiring  or  by  a  stoppage  of  the  circulation  with  an 
ordinary  fire,  as  when  the  valve  V  would  be  closed. 
This  is  substantially  what  we  advised;  excepting  the 
valve,  which  of  course  is  nearly  always  applied  and 
used  either  to  retard  the  circulation  through  the  coil 
or  to  stop  it  altogether.  It  is  understood,  of  course, 
that  there  are  many  coils  in  the  work,  the  one  given 
only  showing  the  principle  involved.] 


METHODS   OF   PIPING. 


ON  WARMING  THE  WATER  SUPPLY  BY 

STEAM. 

GEORGE  E.  STAUFFER,  of  East  Stroudsburg,  Pa., 
writes: 

"  In  a  short  time  I  expect  to  heat  a  summer  hotel 
(for  late  and  early  season)  with  steam,  and  also  ex- 
pect to  put  in  a  water-heating  apparatus  connected 
with  the'boiler  similar  to  the  plan  you  give  on  page 
125  of  your  '  Steam-Heating  Problems,'  but  I  expect 
to  connect  the  supply  direct  to  hydrant  instead  of  a 
tank  overhead;  the  pressure  is  about  40  pounds.  I 
would  ask  why  it  would  not  work  just  as  well  as 
from  a  tank  ?  Another  question  I  would  like  you  to 
answer  is:  Can  I  carry  hot  water,  say  100  feet  hori- 
zontally with  a  fall  of  3  feet,  and  have  it  circulate  so 
as  to  keep  the  spigot  hot  whUe  not  in  use.  I  carry 
the  water  from  one  building  to  another  through  the 
yard,  consequently  cannot  have  more  fall,  as  I  must 
keep  above  the  water  line  in  boiler,  as  I  want  to  drip 
the  condensed  steam  in  boiler.  I  inclose  a  rough 
sketch.  I  expect  to  connect  hydrant  and  circulating 
pipe  at  same  place  in  hot-water  boiler;  will  put  a 
check  valve  in  circulating  pipe  so  as  to  prevent 
drawing  cold  water  direct  from  hydrant,  should  they 
open  several  spigots  at  same  time,  as  with  a  heavy 
draft  at  spigots  it  would  flow  both  ways." 

[There  is  no  reason  why  a  connection  from  the 
hydrant,  such  as  you  describe,  is  not  just  as  good  for 
your  purpose  as  one  from  the  tank,  except  during  in- 
terruptions of  the  street  supply.  Do  not  put  a 
check  valve  in  the  supply  pipe  leading  from  the 
hydrant  or  it  may  result  in  the  bursting  ot  your  tank 
or  piping.  When  a  tank  is  used  it  is  in  the  top  of 
the  house,  and  no  one  is  likely  to  think  of  putting  a 
check  valve  on  the  pipe  between  it  and  the  heater, 
but  with  a  street  supply  many  think  a  check  valve  is 
a  good  thing  to  prevent  the  syphoning  of  the  water 
back  into  the  street  main  should  the  water  be  drawn 
off  in  the  latter.  Such  a  valve  prevents  the  incre- 
ment of  expansion  of  the  water  when  heated  from 
flowing  back  into  the  street  main  and  the  result  may 
be  a  rupture.  In  other  words,  if  there  is  no  check 
valve  on  the  supply  pipe,  then,  unless  the  house  con- 
nection is  shut  off,  the  pressure  in  the  house  pipes 
can  never  exceed  that  in  the  street,  while  if  a  check 
valve  is  used  the  possible  pressure  is  only  limited  by 
the  strength  of  the  house  pipes,  etc.,  and  the  tem- 
perature to  which  the  water  may  be  heated. 

Do  not  use  the  check  valve  you  have  shown  and 
refer  to  on  the  circulating  pipe,  as  the  probability  is 


that  it  will  stop  your  circulation,  unless  it  is  some- 
thing special  and  very  light.  Connect  the  hydrant 
pipe  with  the  hot-water  boiler  at  the  further  end, 
as  shown  at  a,  by  the  dotted  lines,  and  you  will 
probably  not  be  troubled  by  drawing  cold  water  at 
the  faucet.  In  other  respects  the  apparatus,  as 
shown,  will  work,  if  you  use  pipes  of  ample  diameter. 
Your  sketch  shows  a  rise  of  about  3  feet  (including 
the  height  of  the  hot-water  boiler),  and  it  is  to  that 
we  presume  you  refer  when  you  speak  of  "fall." 

When  the  return  circulation  pipe  is  smaller  than 
the  flow  pipe,  it  helps  to  prevent  the  "  back  flow  "  of 
cold  water  through  the  former.  Therefore  if  you 
use  a  ij^-inch  flow  pipe  use  a  i-inch  return,  or  in 
about  that  proportion.  A  stop  valve  in  the  circulat- 
ing pipe  in  place  of  the  proposed  check  valve  may  be 


used  to  advantage,  as  thus  the  circulation  and  back 
flow  may  be  regulated  at  pleasure.  Use  pipes  of 
large  diameter  in  the  steam  coil  and  its  connections, 
say  not  less  than  2  inches  for  supply  and  coil  and 
\%  for  the  return,  or  in  about  that  proportion  if  you 
use  larger  pipes. 

You  will  do  well  to  study  carefully  the  "  Problem 
in  the  Circulation  of  the  Hot- Water  Supply,"  in  THE 
ENGINEERING  RECORD  of  April  6,  1889,  from  which 
you  will  see  that  the  higher  you  can  run  the  circulating 
loop  in  the  annex  the  more  efficient  the  circulation 
is  likely  to  be,  and  should  it  not  be  satisfactory  and 
the  extension  of  the  pipes  upward  be  inconvenient,  it 
would  be  well  to  run  the  pipe  horizontally  a  ways  be- 
fore descending,  even  if  you  bring  it  back  to  the 
same  place,  as  the  sole  cause  ot  circulation  is  the 
difference  of  temperature  between  the  water  going 


392 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


up  and  that  going  down,  and  hence  the  more  you 
can  cool  your  water  before  it  descends  the  better.] 


WARMING  A  JAIL  BY  HOT  WATER. 
'  THE  following  description  and  illustrations  of  the 
method  of  warming  the  Schenectady  Jail  were  sent 
to  us  by  J.  V.  Vrooman  &  Sons,  of  Schenectady,  N. 
Y.,  who  did  the  work,  and  as  it  differs  from  most 
hot- water  work  by  having  the  return  pipes  start  at 
the  first  coil  and  flow  in  the  same  general  way  around 
the  building  as  the  flow  pipes,  growing  longer  as  the 
flow  pipes  decrease  in  size,  we  give  it  in  full  in  their 
own  words: 

"  Our  jail  was  built  of  stone,  without  cellar  or  pit 
for  the  heating  apparatus,  and  it  was  at  first  pro- 
posed to  heat  it  with  steam.  There  being  no  cellar 
made  it  a  difficult  matter  to  put  radiators  on  the  main 
prison  floor  or  in  the  lower  tier  of  cells. 

"  The  prison  part  of  the  building  is  lined  with  %- 
inch  steel,  the  corner  being  made  by  riveting  to 
angle  irons.  The  main  floor  is  of  6-inch  Tribes  Hill 
stone,  laid  in  large  blocks;  the  gallery  and  floors  of 
the  second  tier  of  cells  are  of  i^-inch  steel. 

"  The  system  of  heating  used  is  hot  water  with  a 
No.  28  '  Gurney '  boiler.  The  pipes  are  run  as  shown 
in  the  diagrams;  two  2-inch  pipes  leave  the  boiler  in 
the  entry  and  pass  up  to  near  the  ceiling  of  the  first 
story,  ascending  to  A,  Fig.  2,  where  the  air  pipes  are 
taken  out  and  connected  with  one  ^-inch  pipe,  which 
is  carried,  still  ascending,  over  the  ceiling  timbers  of 
the  second  story  until  it  reaches  a  point  over  the 
expansion  tank,  near  the  second-story  ceiling;  there 
it  ends  in  a  tee,  from  which  two  pipes  extend,  one  to 
the  top  of  the  expansion  tank,  and  the  other  up  about 
1 8  inches,  so  that  the  air  can  escape  from  the  pipes 
and  coils,  and  so  that  if  the  water  should  reach  the 
boiling  point  it  can  overflow  into  the  tank. 

"The  vent  pipe  and  expansion  tank  are  shown  in 
Fig.  5- 


41  After  leaving  the  vent  pipe  at  A,  the  two  flow 
pipes  F  F  go  through  the  brick  wall  and  steel  lining 
to  the  prison  proper,  when  they  separate,  one  run- 
ning through  the  upper  tier  of  cells,  the  other 
through  the  lower  tier,  both  near  the  ceiling,  as  far 
as  the  last  cells,  where  the  one  in  the  upper  tier  is 
capped  on  the  outside  of  the  steel  plate  and  the  one 
in  the  lower  tier  ends  in  a  miter  coil  in  the  closet  (see 
Fig.  4).  From  each  of  the  main  flow  pipes  a  i-inch 
pipe  is  taken  in  each  cell  and  carried  down  to  a  re- 
turn bend  radiator  of  three  or  four  pipes  as  required, 
and  then  into  the  return  pipes  G  G,  that  extend 
through  the  cells  near  the  floor  and  on  through  the 
wall  to  the  boiler.  Under  the  window  is  placed  a 
coil  of  13  i-inch  pipes  connected  with  the  first-tier 
pipes  as  shown  in  Fig.  3. 

"  During  the  last  winter,  with  its  severe  weather, 
the  apparatus  was  used  for  heating  the  building,  so 
that  the  masons  and  carpenters  could  finish  their 
work.  With  windows  partly  open  and  a  large  sky- 
light over  the  main  prison  only  covered  with  matting, 


WARMING   A  JAIL  BY   HOT   WATER, 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


there  was  no  trouble  from  freezing  or  bursting  of 
pipe,  and  the  quantity  of  fuel  consumed  was  no 
more  than  one  stove  would  use,  though  a  stove  used 
before  the  heating  apparatus  was  finished  did  not 
begin  to  keep  the  building  warm.  A  large  room  in 
the  second  story  was  then  open  to  the  main  floor,  but 
has  since  been  closed.  We  have  received  very  flatter- 
ing testimonials  as  to  the  efficiency  of  the  apparatus." 


A    HOT-WATER   CIRCULATION    QUESTION. 
FRANK  J.  GRODAVENT,  of  Denver,  Colo.,  writes: 

"  I  have  a  question  relative  to  hot-water  heat- 
ing which  I  would  be  very  glad  to  have  you  answer. 
A  party  here  has  contracted  to  heat  a  dwelling  by 
hot  water,  the  total  amount  of  radiation  being  about 
goo  feet,  the  greater  portion  of  the  first  floor  to  be 
heated  by  indirect  radiation.  The  boiler  to  be  used 
will  be  a  Richardson  &  Boynton  '  Perfect/ 

"It  was  originally  intended  to  have  the  boiler 
located  in  the  cellar  of  the  building,  but  lately  the 
owner  has  decided  to  place  the  boiler  in  the  basement 
of  the  stable,  which  is  located  at  the  rear  of  the 
house  and  just  forward  of  the  line,  leaving  a  4-foot 
passage  or  walk  between  the  two.  The  boiler  can 
be  placed  at  as  great  a  depth  as  may  be  desired  to 
get  the  proper  rise  to  flow  and  proper  fall  to  return 
pipes. 

"  The  contractor  doing  the  work  claims  that  he  can 
get  just  as  good  results  by  having  one  flow  and  re- 
turn pipe  leading  to  the  most  central  point  and  taking 
branches  as  desired. 

"  I  claim  that  he  will  get  better  results  if  he  runs 
separate  flow  and  returns  for  the  first  and  second 
stories,  and  that  he  can  supply  the  small  amount  of 
radiation  in  the  attic  from  the  second-story  risers.  I 
claim  that  with  the  single  pipe  there  will  be  more 
danger  of  the  upper  radiators  getting  the  heated 
water  at  the  loss  of  the  indirects  which  will  be  in  the 
basement  or  cellar  of  the  house. 

"Another  point  I  claim,  that  he  will  require  air 
pipes  carried  from  the  highest  point  of  the  flow  and 
return  mains  to  these  indirect  radiators,  as  the 
mains  rise,  run  level  and  run  down  to  radiators  and 
will  thus  form  air  pockets,  which  will  stop  the  flow 
of  water.  I  am  aware  that  at  times  air  valves  are 
used  at  these  points,  but  believe  the  air  pipe  better. 

"  I  do  not  claim  to  be  a  hot- water  expert  and  have 
had  only  a  small  amount  of  the  practical  part  to  con- 
tend with,  yet  I  have  had  a  deep  interest  in  this 
system  of  warming  and  will  feel  very  grateful  if  you 
will  kindly  give  the  information  desired." 

[The  results  will  be  just  as  good  if  one  large  flow 
and  a  similar  large  return  pipe  are  run  to  a  central 
point  and  the  branches  taken  therefrom  accordingly. 
Of  course  we  do  not  say  that  any  one  of  the  proposed 
methods  cannot  be  botched.  We  assume,  however, 
that  the  work  is  in  the  hands  of  a  capable  person. 
He  should  avoid  air  traps  in  his  mains,  and  if  he 
cacnot  do  so  the  method  you  propose  is  the  one  we 
consider  the  best.  The  air  pipes  should  rise  to  the 
expansion  tank.] 


THE   PITCH    OF   HOT-WATER    HEATING 

PIPES. 
W.  W.  STRONG,  C.  E.,  Northampton,  Mass.,  writes: 

"  In  hot- water  heating,  should  the  supply  and  re- 
turn pipes  be  run  level  or  on  a  grade?  If  on  a  grade, 
at  what  inclination  ?  Which  pipe,  if  either,  should 
have  the  most  grade  ?  Will  it  cost  more  to  do  the 
same  heating  if  pipes  are  level  than  if  on  a  grade  ?  " 


[Hot-water  pipes  "should  have  a  pitch,  upward  as 
they  flow  away  from  the  boiler  and  downward  as 
they  return  to  it,  which  makes  substantially  two 
pipes  side  by  side,  with  an  upward  grade  as  they  go 
from  the  boiler,  the  one  the  flow  and  the  other  the 
return  pipe.  The  object  of  this  pitch  is  to  get  rid  of 
the  air.  By  getting  rid  of  the  air  you  secure  circula- 
tion; therefore,  we  may  say  the  grade  is  the  cheaper, 
as  on  the  level,  except  in  very  large  pipes,  air  bird- 
ing  will  follow.  With  good  alignment  and  straight 
tubes  a  very  small  grade  will  do,  say  one-rourth  of 
an  inch  to  10  feet.  With  ordinary  small  pines,  up  to 
i^-inch,  a  pitch  of  one  half  to  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  to  10  feet  may  be  required.  Flow  and  return 
pipes  should  be  of  the  same  diameter  and  of  the 
same  pitch  or  grade.] 


AN  INCREASED  HOT-WATER    SUPPLY 

WANTED. 

JOSSELYN  &  TAYLOR,  architects,  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa,  writes:. 

"  In  a  Y.  M.  C.  A.  bathroom  connected  with  four 
shower  and  two  bath  tubs  is  an  82-gallon  iron  boiler, 
placed  horizontally  and  containing  20  feet  of  i-inch 
steam  pipe  connected  with  the  boiler  that  heats  the 
building.  The  pressure  of  city  water  is  about  40 
pounds  and  of  steam  seven  pounds. 

"  This  supplies  40  baths,  but  when,  say  60  or  more 
are  needed  in  an  evening  continuously,  hot  warer 
fails.  The  membership  is  increasing  and  it  is  desired 
to  learn,  if  possible,  how  to  do  more  than  guess  at  a 
way  to  make  adequate  provision. 

"Another  boiler  of  the  same  size  can  be  placed  by 
the  side  of  the  present  one,  but  no  larger,  nor  are 
there  other  convenient  places.  This  is  directly  over 
the  shower  and  75  feet  from  steam-heater  boiler. 

"The  waste  steam  goes  through  a  Hawes  trap,  as  it 
cannot  return  to  the  boiler.  The  following  questions 
occur  to  us: 

"i.  What  is  the  best  size,  amount,  and  kind  of 
steam  pipe  to  put  in  the  boilers  ? 

"2.  How  should  the  pipe  be  run — lengthwise  or 
around  the  boiler  spirally  ? 

"3.  If  two  boilers  are  used,  what  is  the  best  way  to 
connect  them  and  the  supply,  etc.? 

"  It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  users  of  the  baths 
at  certain  times  come  thick  and  fast,  and  are  not 
careful  about  economical  use  of  the  water. 

"A  minimum  expenditure  of  money  in  the  addi- 
tional apparatus  is  desired. 

"  Any  information  and  suggestions  will  be  thank- 
fully received." 

[i.  Brass  pipe  not  smaller  than   i  inch  in  diameter. 

2.  Lengthwise.     Spiral  coils  are  not  good  for  this 
purpose. 

3.  Connect  them  as  one  boiler  with  leveling  pipes 
top  and  bottom. 

You  require  about  i  square  foot  of  pipe  surface  to 
each  bath,  if  the  demand  is  sudden  and  wasteful. 
The  larger  your  cylinders  or  tanks  are  outside  the 
coils,  the  better  the  result.  When  there  is  a  sudden 
draft  on  small  tanks,  the  water  that  warmed  be- 
tween times  is  drawn  off  first,  and  the  last  drawn,  of 
course,  is  colder.  It  there  is  a  large  body  of  water, 
it  acts  as  a  reservoir  of  heat  by  absorbing  it  from  the 
coils  continuously,  whereas  a  small  body  of  water  is 
made  very  hot  in  a  few  moments,  and  as  soon  as  it 


294 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


is  as  hot,  or  nearly  as  hot,  as  the  steam,  condensa- 
tion ceases,  and  the  supply  of  hot  water  is  intermit- 
tent.] 


quently  do  only  one-eighth  the  work.  It  is  well  to 
bear  in  mind  the  maxim  that  you  cannot  get  some- 
thing from  nothing.] 


LARGE   VS.    SMALL  DIAMETERS   FOR  HOT- 
WATER  HEATING  PIPES. 
C.  S.,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  writes: 

"  Will  you  oblige  a  subscriber  by  answering  the 
following  questions  ?  It  occurs  to  your  correspondent 
that  by  using  smaller  mains  and  risers,  everything 
properly  proportioned,  the  waterin  a  hot-water  heat- 
ing system  would  be  kept  at  a  higher  temperature 
and  would  be  delivered  hotter  to  the  radiators, 
though  in  smaller  quantities,  than  if  larger  pipe  is 
used. 

"  This  does  not  agree  with  the  tables,  etc.,  in  Bald- 
win's book  on  '  Hot- Water  Heating  and  Fitting.'which 
I  am  not  disposed  to  contradict;  but  I  do  not  see  why, 
because  a  pipe  is  smaller  the  temperature  of  the  radi- 
ators should  not  be  as  high  as  with  large  pipe.  Is  it 
not  true,  that  what  is  lost  in  quantity  is  made  up  for 
by  a  higher  temperature  ?  There  is  less  water  to 
heat  while  the  same  amount  of  firing  is  done  as  with 
large  pipe;  there  is  less  water  present  and  it  must 
get  hotter. 

"  A  pint  of  water  in  a  tin  cup  held  over  a  candle- 
light might  be  brought  to  boiling  while  a  gallon  of 
water,  placed  similarly,  could  not,  even  in  double  the 
time,  be  brought  near  the  boiling  point. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  more  friction  in  small  piping, 
which  of  course  is  objectionable.  Please  favor  me 
with  an  answer." 

[A  reduction  in  size  of  pipes,  meaning  their  diame- 
ters (but  all  other  things,  such  as  position  and  method 
of  running  pipes,  remaining  the  same),  will  result  in 
cooler  water  at  the  radiators  instead  of  hotter,  as  you 
suppose.  We  must  assume,  for  comparison,  that  the 
water  leaves  the  boilers  at  the  same  temperature  in 
two  separate  cases;  one  with  large  pipes  and  one 
with  small  pipes.  In  the  case  of  the  large-pipe  ap- 
paratus two  or  three  times  as  much  water  will  flow 
out  in  a  unit  of  time,  say  one  minute,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  the  pipe  is  bigger,  the  velocities  being 
about  the  same  in  both  cases  (but  slowest,  if  there  be 
any  appreciable  difference,  with  the  small  pipes). 
It  is  evident  that  when  two  measures  of  hot  water 
are  carried  through  a  radiator  in  a  unit  of  time  the 
loss  of  temperature  in  one  radiator  will  be  only  half 
what  the  loss  would  be  in  the  one  that  received  only 
one  measure.  Starting  even  they  will  both  begin  to 
cool,  and  the  one  through  which  the  greatest  flow  of 
water  goes  will  show  the  least  loss  of  temperature 
in  a  given  time,  and  consequently  do  the  most  work. 

You  cannot  quicken  the  velocities  to  compensate 
for  the  loss  of  diameter;  they  will  be  slower  instead 
of  quicker  with  wa  er  at  the  same  temperature  in 
both,  and  even  with  the  greater  temperature  in  the 
small  pipe  at  the  start  the  increase  of  velocity  can 
never  compensate  for  the  decrease  in  quantity  under 
any  range  of  temperature  at  which  heating  apparatus 
works.  It  is  true  that  you  can  warm  a  pint  of  water 
in  much  less  time  than  you  can  warm  a  gallon,  and  it 
is  equally  true  that  it  requires  only  one-eighth  of  the 
heat  to  warm  a  pint  than  it  does  to  warm  a  gallon,  and 
that  in  cooling  a  pint  of  water  will  only  give  out  one- 
eighth  of  the  heat  that  a  gallon  will,  and  conse- 


C.  S.,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  writes: 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  answer  to  my 
inquiry  on  a  hot-water  heating  question  which  has 
puzzled  me  very  much.  Please  pardon  me  for  being 
still  inquisitive,  because  your  explanation  opens  up 
another  question  for  me  which  I  cannot  answer.  If. 
as  you  say,  the  temperature  of  the  water  in  the  small 
pipe  system  would  be,  perhaps,  less  than  that  in  a 
large  one,  what  becomes  of  the  heat  in  the  small  pipe 
system  which,  because  by  using  small  piping  and 
radiators  with  very  small  passages  will  carry,  say, 
perhaps,  25  per  cent,  less  water  than  the  large  pipe 
system,  having  the  same  size  boiler  as  the  other  one  ? 
Does  it  not  seem  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  sys- 
tem with  the  least  water  must  run  the  water  hotter, 
because  the  same  amount  of  heat  is  applied  to  one 
as  to  the  other?  If  the  water  in  the  one  system 
which  carries,  say,  perhaps,  300  gallons  of  water, 
does  not  run  hotter  than  the  water  in  the  other  sys- 
tem, which  carries,  perhaps,  400  gallons  of  water, 
kindly  state  what  becomes  of  the  heat?  Is  it  all  lost 
by  friction  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  the  pipes, 
and  small  passages  of  radiators,  or  does  it  go  up  the 
flues?  It  is  perhaps  wrong  for  me  to  take  such  lib- 
erty and  expect  you  to  answer  all  these  questions, 
still,  after  reading  Baldwin's  book,  which  I  have 
found  very  profitable  to  me  in  my  business,  the  un- 
derstanding of  same  would  not  be  complete  unless 
some  light  was  turned  on  these  questions." 

[To  your  question,  "  What  becomes  of  the  heat  in 
the  small  pipe  system  ?''  the  reply  is,  "It  was  not 
there."  We  do  not  mean  to  say  that  the  water  was 
not  as  hot  at  the  start  as  in  a  large  system,  as  the 
temperatures  may  have  been  the  very  same,  but  the 
total  heat  contained  in  the  pipe  was  less,  and  conse- 
quently the  temperature  in  the  small  pipe  fell  the 
most  rapidly.  You  must  not  imagine  in  your  reason- 
ing that  you  can  use  the  water  generally  hotter  in  a 
small  pipe  than  in  a  big  pipe  system,  as  the  large 
pipe  system  has  equal  advantages  in  this  respect. 
The  amount  of  water  in  the  system,  whether  300 
gallons  or  400  gallons,  has  little  or  nothing  to  do 
with  the  heating  capacity  of  an  apparatus.  It  is 
simply  the  number  of  gallons  that  will  flow  past  a 
certain  point  in  a  given  time,  and  that  entirely  de- 
pends on  the  size  of  the  flow  pipes.  There  may  be 
an  advantage  in  having  a  small  quantity  of  water  in 
the  boiler,  and  radiators  that  will  contain  a  compara- 
tively small  quantity  of  water,  but  this  does  not 
affect  the  flow  in  the  pipes,  unless  the  water  passages 
in  the  boiler  or  in  the  radiators  are  stunted,  when  of 
course  it  will  affect  the  circulation  detrimentally. 

Take  two  apparatus,  for  examples:  In  one  there  is 
a  boiler  holding  100  gallons,  with  the  pipes  holding 
loo  gallons,  and  the  radiators  100  gallons  more,  mak- 
ing 300  gallons  in  all.  In  the  other  apparatus  the 
boiler  holds  200  gallons,  but  in  every  other  respect 
the  apparatus  is  the  same  as  the  first,  except  in  hold- 
ing 100  gallons  more  water.  These  two  apparatus 
will  do  exactly  the  same  work  in  the  same  time  with 
the  same  fire,  assuming  the  boilers  to  be  the  same 
except  in  their  holding  capacity.  Now  take  the 
smaller  boiler  (or,  if  you  please,  the  larger  one; 
it  matters  nothing  to  us  which  you  take),  and  reduce 


STEAM  AND  HQT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


295 


the  flow  pipes  in  diameter.  The  water  cannot  then 
get  away  from  the  boiler  fast  as  before,  and  the  re- 
sult will  be  colder  radiators,  and  probably  a  very  hot 
boiler.  Extra  firing  will  not  force  the  circulation;  it 
will  simply  result  in  making  steam,  and  in  making 
your  effort  abortive.  Another  way  of  looking  at  this 
whole  question  is:  Suppose  you  have  one  large 
boiler  that  is  fired  and  kept  just  below  the  point  of 
making  steam;  then  if  you  connect  a  small  pipe  sys- 
tem to  one  end  of  the  boiler,  and  a  large  pipe  system 
to  the  other  end  of  the  boiler  (the  radiators  and  pipes 
in  both  cases  being  exactly  the  same),  which  will  do 
the  most  work  ?  Our  answer,  and  we  have  no  doubt 
your  own  answer,  is  "  Why,  the  apparatus  with  the 
larger  pipes,"  as  it  is  quite  apparent  to  any  one  who 
has  considered  this  subject,  that  it  is  only  necessary 
to  keep  on  reducing  the  size  of  the  pipes  in  the  small 
pipe  apparatus,  until  the  apparatus  will  cease  to  work 
entirely. 


A  HOT- WATER  RADIATOR  CONNECTION  TO 

A  STEAM-HEATING  BOILER. 
AN  Arlington,  N.  J.,  correspondent  writes: 

"My  house  13  heated  with  an  ordinary  portable 
house-heating  steam  boiler  by  the  direct  closed 
gravity  return  system.  I  have  been  thinking  of 
trying  to  heat  an  isolated  room  by  hot  water  from 
the  same  boiler,  and  propose  to  tap  my  steam  boiler 
a  few  inches  below  the  water  line,  as  at  A  on  the 
inclosed  sketch,  and  take  my  hot-water  supply  from 
that  point  to  the  room  to  be  heated.  In  this  I  will 
place  a  regular  hot- water  radiator,  and  use  a  separate 
return  tor  the  hot- water  system,  as  well  as  supply. 
Will  this  operate  successfully,  and  can  I  heat  this 
room  by  hot  water  at  the  same  time  that  I  am  heat- 
ing the  rest  of  the  house  by  steam  ?  Would  a  i-inch 
pipe  be  large  enough  for  supply  and  return?  The 
room  is  a  small  one,  only  S'xg'xSJ^'  high." 

[Your  proposed  method  of  warming  a  room  by  a 
hot- water  circulation,  taken  from  a  steam  boiler,  will 
work  and  be  satisfactory  just  so  long  as  the  pressure 
of  steam  in  the  boiler  will  be  great  enough  to  main- 


K 


^ 

L- 

•—  -, 

^ 

~r~~. 

LVV 

\ 

"-"-" 

\ 


tain  the  water  in  the  pipes  and  keep  them  constantly 
full.  Suppose  the  top  of  your  coil  is  20  feet  above 
the  water  line  in  the  boiler.  Then  as  long  as  you 
carry,  say  10  pounds  of  steam,  or  higher,  the  water 
coil  will  circulate.  On  the  first  floor  above  the  boiler 
four  or  five  pounds  of  steam  will  do.  The  pressure  is 
necessary  to  keep  the  pipes  full.  One-inch  steam 
pipe  is  large  for  such  a  room.] 


HOT-WATER  RADIATOR  CONNECTION  TO 
A  STEAM-HEATING  BOILER. 

A.  B.  BARR,  Chief  Engineer  of  the  E.  H.  Cook 
Company,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  writes: 

"  On  page  392  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  of 
November  14,  1891,  I  notice  an  inquiry  on  how  to 
heat  a  room  by  hot  water  from  a  steam  boiler.  The 
writer  had  occasion  to  do  a  small  hot-water  job  from 
a  steam  boiler  which  was  used  to  run  a  steam  engine, 
and  accomplished  it  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner 


by  having  a  small  range  boiler  made  with  a  spiral 
coil  of  brass  pipe  placed  inside  and  attaching  the 
brass  coil  to  the  boiler  below  the  water  line,  and 
then  using  the  range  boiler  in  same  manner  as  any 
ordinary  hot-water  boiler.  A  straight  piece  of,  say 
i  j^-inch  pipe,  3  or  4  feet  long,  would  be  sufficient  for 
a  small  radiator.  A  valve  should  be  placed  in  pipe 
between  the  boilers  to  cut  off  or  regulate  the  heat. 
If  the  apparatus  was  arranged  in  this  way  the  hot- 
water  radiator  would  always  have  some  heat  so  long 
as  the  water  in  steam  boiler  remained  warm,  even 
after  the  steam  radiators  throughout  the  house  were 
all  cold.  I  inclose  a  sketch  which  explains  itself." 


HOT    WATER    FROM   THE    RETURN    PIPES. 
SELIM,  Piscatauquis,  N.  H.,  writes: 

"My  opinion  was  asked  as  to  a  proposed  plan  for 
bringing  hot  water  to  washbowls  and  sinks.  The 
engineer  considered  it  a  'happy  thought.'  His  plan 
was  this:  He  has  a  low-pressure  or  gravity  system 


296 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


heating  the  building  by  steam,  and  was  to  make  re- 
turn pipes  (one  or  more)  supply  the  hot  water  to  the 
bowls,  etc.  Would  a  man  having  any  clear  idea  of 
the  principle  of  steam  heating  attempt  such  things  ? 
I  gave  him  my  opinion  in  very  plain  English.  I  then 
asked  him  how  high  above  'water  line'  his  bowls  and 
sinks  were  located;  how  much  pressure  he  proposed 
to  carry  on  his  boiler;  if  he  was  to  have  a  fireman  in 
constant  attendance,  or  to  control  by  automatic 
damper  regulator;  where  his  hot  water  was  to  come 
from?  I  a'sked  if  he  had  a  feed- water  heater  and 
pump,  or  injector,  and  if  so,  why  he  called  it  a  grav- 
ity job;  and  finally,  why  he  did  not  put  in  a  small 
hot- water  boiler  or  tank,  with  brass  coil  connecting 
with  his  steam  and  return,  atjd  thus  safely  supply 
hot  water  to  his  bowls  and  sinks?  He  has  a  hori- 
zontal tubular  boiler  of  40  horse-power.  With  the 
hot  water  at  several  sinks,  running — left  running, 
thoughtlessly,  as  they  are  very  likely  to  be — what 
would  be  the  very  probable  result?" 

[This  proposed  plan  of  hot-water  supply  is  too 
ridiculous  to  be  entertained,  and  but  for  the  fact 
that  just  such  men  as  would  plan  a  job  of  this  sort 
often,  by  their  tinskillfulness  and  ignorance,  cause 
great  inconvenience  and  injury  to  others,  even  plac- 
ing human  life  in  jeopardy,  we  would  not  feel  justi- 
fied in  going  into  details,  in  answering  the  query  of 
our  correspondent.  No  person  properly  trained  as  a 
heating  engineer  would  lay  out  such  a  job,  and  em. 
ployers  should  consult  their  own  interests  by  not  en- 
trusting work  to  such  impracticable  ana.  dangerous 
men.  Assuming  that  the  job  was  installed  upon  the 
plan  indicated,  only  steam  could  be  dra^vn  upon  the 
top  floors,  steam  and  water  from  the  cocks  near  the 
water  line,  and  water  from  those  below  the  water  line. 
Water  drawn  from  such  a  system  would  not  be  fit  for 
domestic  use.  It  would  be  full  of  rust,  and  at  times 
would  emit  a  disagreeable  odor,  such  as  is  often  de- 
tected where  air  is  drawn  from  gravity  coils. 

One  of  the  first  laws  of  steam  heating  which  a 
fitter  should  learn  is  to  allow  no  water  to  be  taken 


from  the  returns.  Experience  has  taught  that  this 
practice  has  caused  the  "burning"  of  more  boilers 
than  all  other  causes  combined.  Many  heating  con- 
tractors, in  recognition  of  this  danger,  will  not  con- 
nect a  "  blow-off  "  directly  to  a  sewer.  This  restric- 
tion we  heartily  indorse  for  small  jobs  or  places 
where  an  engineer  is  not  employed. 

Your  plan  of  a  hot-water  tank  with  brass  heating 
pipes  through  which  the  steam  and  return  pipes 
would  connect,  is  very  proper  and  is  the  best  that 
can  be  done  under  some  conditions.  We  would 
suggest  in  this  case,  using  a  hot-water  circulating 
boiler  of  sufficient  size  and  of  the  character  used  in 
the  plumbing  of  dwellings.  If  there  is  sufficient 
pressure  in  the  main  service  pipe  it  will  force  the  hot 
water  from  the  boiler  to  the  several  points  for  use; 
or  if  not,  a  tank  should  be  placed  sufficiently  high 
and  so  connected  that  when  in  service  it  would  act 
as  a  head,  giving  the  desired  pressure.  The  water 
in  this  boiler  or  tank  may  be  heated  by  connecting 
flow  and  return  pipes  into  the  firebox  of  the  steam 
boiler,  on  the  same  general  plan  as  is  used  in  con- 
necting a  kitchen  range  and  tank.  The  pipes  can  be 
laid  against  the  bridge  wall.  The  hotter  the  place 
the  better,  if  much  hot  water  is  required,  but  great 
care  must  be  taken  to  have  the  connecting  pipes 
properly  run,  otherwise  there  will  be  endless  noises 
and  repairs.  Any  good  plumber  should  know  how 
to  arrange  the  job.  You  ask  what  would  be  the 
probable  result  of  drawing  hot-water  service  from 
the  returns  of  a  gravity  system.  It  might  be  annoy- 
ance, stench,  dirty  water,  scalding  by  steam  with 
chances  favoring  a  burned  or  cracked  boiler  with  a 
heavy  boiler-maker's  bill,  or  an  exploded  boiler  with 
attendant  damage  to  property  and  peril  to  life,  and 
the  incidental  inquiry — after  the  event— "  How  did 
it  happen  ?  Who  is  to  blame?  "] 


MISCELLANEOUS   QUERIES. 


GAS  IN  HOT. WATER  RADIATORS. 
A.  E.  KENRICK,  Brookline,  Mass.,  writes: 
"  I  read,  with  a  great  deal  of  curiosity,  the  inquiry 
of  Messrs.  Mooney  &  Baine,  in  regard  to  gas  in  hot- 
water  radiators.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  on  the 
same  day  that  I  saw  the  inquiry  a  customer,  for 
whom  I  erected  a  hot-water  heating  apparatus  last 
year,  came  into  my  office  greatly  excited  and  asked 
me  to  explain  the  reasons  for  what  he  had  just  dis- 
covered in  his  apparatus.  He  said  that  he  found 
that  one  of  his  radiators  was  not  heating  properly 
and  needed  to  be  vented;  he  therefore  went  into  the 
basement,  got  an  old  tomato  cau  and  commenced  to 
vent  the  radiator.  As  it  was  dark  where  the  radiator 
was  located  he  lit  a  match  so  that  he  could  see  when 
the  water  came.  To  his  amazement  the  air  ignited 
and  burned  for  a  second  or  so  with  a  blue  flame,  and 
he  burnt  the  paper  on  the  side  of  the  can  with  it. 
He  came  to  me  for  information;  he  said  that  he  was 
not  aware  that  you  could  light  as  well  as  heat  houses 
with  hot  water.  Since  then  I  have  tried  radiators  in 


my  own  house,  and  have  been  able  to  obtain  the 
same  results. 

"  My  theory  is  that  the  hydrogen  in  the  water  be- 
came separated  from  the  water  by  heating,  and  when 
liberated  burns  with  a  blue  flame  if  ignited.  As  for 
the  milky  color,  that  may  be  seen  almost  any  time 
that  the  water  is  drawn  off  and  the  radiator  refilled 
without  venting,  especially  if  filled  from  a  street 
main  with  considerable  pressure.  It  is  due  simply  to 
air  in  the  water.  If  a  glassful  of  the  water  be  allowed 
to  stand  a  few  minutes  the  air  will  escape  and  the 
water  will  become  perfectly  clear." 

[Mr.  Kenrick's  communication  would  seem  to  con- 
firm the  statement  that  inflammable  gas  is  found  in 
radiators,  although  it  has  been  received  incredulously 
in  some  quarters.  We  cannot,  however,  agree  to 
the  theory  that  the  gas  is  hydrogen  arising  from  the 
decomposition  of  the  water,  since  the  temperature  of 
dissociation  of  water,  or  in  other  words,  the  tern- 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


297 


perature  at  which  it  is  separated  into  its  component 
parts,  oxygen  and  hydrogen,  is  somewhere  in  the 
neighborhood  of  2,000°  Fahr.  It  is  almost  unneces- 
sary to  say  that  this  temperature  is  never  attained 
in  a  hot-water  radiator.  The  explanation  which  we 
offered  in  connection  with  the  letter  from  Messrs. 
Mooney  &  Baine.  that  the  gas  is  due  to  the  distilla- 
tion of  some  light  mineral  oil  used  in  making  up 
radiator  joints,  or  perhaps  to  decomposition  of  veget- 
able matter  in  the  water,  is  probably  more  nearly 
correct.] 


We  presume  that  the  lowest  outside  temperature 
calculated  for,  in  fixing  the  amount  of  heating  sur- 
face for  this  church,  is  32°  Fahr.,  and  that  the  num- 
ber of  persons  in  the  auditorium  to  be  supplied  with 
fresh  air  is  about  1,000.  The  foul-air  aspirating  shaft 
is  of  dimensions  sufficient  to  carry  off  1,100  cubic  feet 
of  air  per  second,  but  there  seem  to  be  only  25  square 
feet  of  fresh-air  register  surface,  and  no  doubt  part 
of  this  is  obstructed  by  the  iron- work  of  the  registers, 
so  that  not  more  than  1 5  square  feet  of  clear  fresh-air 
inlet  are  provided  for  the  auditorium.  Even  if  a 


THE  HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  A 
CHURCH. 

A.  M.  P-,  New  Orleans,  La.,  writes: 

"  I  venture  to  ask  your  opinion  upon  a  subject 
which  has  been  under  discussion  here.  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  Church  has  contracted  to  have  a  hot-water 
heating  apparatus  put  in.  The  contractor  proposes 
to  put  radiators  at  points  marked  A  upon  the  plan  as 
shown.  He  runs  a  4-inch  feed  pipe  from  the  boiler 
on  each  side  of  the  church  to  supply  both  the  direct 
and  indirect  radiators.  In  the  side  aisles  he  places 
indirect  radiation,  the  register  being  about  18x24 
inches.  In  the  center  aisle  he  places  six  registers, 
connected  with  a  vitrified  pipe.  The  pipe  under  the 
floor,  15  or  16  inches  in  diameter,  stands  at  C';  at  C" 
the  pipe  is  increased  in  size,  and  is  further  increased 
at  each  of  the  six  registers.  The  pipe  is  last  con- 
nected to  a  flue  about  5o"x5o"xso'  high.  There  is  a 
register  and  indirect  radiator  in  the  floor  of  the 
chancel  at  B".  This  register  and  indirect  radiator 
connect  with  the  vitrified  pipe,  and  also  to  a  cold-air 
flue.  * 

"  There  are  a  great  many  feet  of  pipe  in  the  foul- 
air  shaft.  The  contractor  proposes  to  heat  the  church 
as  follows:  Before  the  congregation  assembles  the 
damper  in  the  cold-air  duct  supplying  the  register  in 
the  chancel  is  closed  and  also  the  damper  in  the  foul- 
air  shaft.  He  holds  that  the  cold  air  will  settle 
on  the  floor,  be  drawn  down  through  the  registers  in 
the  center  aisle  to  the  indirect  radiator  under  the 
chancel  and  will  then  pass  up  through  register  B" 
into  the  body  of  the  church.  This  circulation  will 
continue  until  the  congregation  assembles.  Then 
the  damper  in  the  cold-air  duct  supplying  indirect 
stack  B"  will  be  opened,  the  damper  in  the  foul-air 
flue  opened,  and  the  damper  in  the  duct  connecting 
the  vitrified  pipe  and  indirect  stack  B"  will  be  closed. 
The  foul  air  will  then  be  drawn  out  of  the  church 
through  the  flue.  In  the  base  of  the  flue  he  has  put 
several  hundred  feet  of  pipe  through  which  a  current 
of  warm  or  hot  water  will  flow.  In  the  cellar  under 
the  church  he  has  put  a  Bolton  heater.  The  con- 
tractor holds  that  this  plan  will  quickly  and  economi- 
cally warm  the  church,  and  will  remove  the  foul  air 
which  he  says  largely  settles  on  the  floor.  We  know 
little  or  nothing  about  heating  and  ventilation  down 
here,  and  will  be  very  much  obliged  for  an  expression 
of  your  opinion  as  to  the  efficacy  of  this  plan  in  the 
next  issue  of  your  widely  read  and  appreciated 
journal." 

[Heating  apparatus  on  the  general  principle  indi- 
cated in  the  above  letter — i.  e. ,  causing  the  air  to 
circulate  round  and  round,  passing  repeatedly  over 
the  heating  surfaces  while  the  room  is  unoccupied, 
and  then  changing  to  a  continuous  system  of  fresh- 
air  supply  when  the  room  is  filled  with  people,  has 
been  tried  in  several  cases  and  with  good  success. 


RECORD, 


.  ..„,.      .CHAPEL 

34-10x26         ^24*  24' 


f 


==f  AUDITORIUM = 


A  A,  direct  radiators;  B  B,  indirect  radiators;  C  C'  C',  ven- 
tilating registers;  D,  Bolton  heater  in  cellar;  E,  foul-air 
flue  44'x46'xso'  high. 

THE  HEATING  AND  VENTILATION  OF  A  CHURCH. 


velocity  of  10  feet  per  second  for  the  incoming  air 
could  be  secured  this  would  only  give  150  cubic  feet 
of  fresh-air  supply  per  second,  whereas  for  1,000 
persons  at  least  500  cubic  feet  per  second  should  be 
given,  and  if  possible  600  should  be  supplied  when 
the  room  is  fully  occupied.  But  the  more  cold  air  is 
admitted  the  more  heating  surface  must  be  supplied 
to  secure  comfort,  and  if  the  heating  surface  has 
been  proportioned  to  150  cubic  feet  of  fresh-air  sup- 
ply, it  must  be  increased  if  this  supply  is  tripled  or 
quadrupled,  as  it  should  be. 

The  tendency  of  engineers  in  the  North,  for  build- 
ings of  this  kind,  is  to  use  mechanical  means  of  mov- 
ing the  air  in  the  shape  of  a  fan  or  blower  in  prefer- 
ence to  using  an  aspirating  shaft.] 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


HEATING  A  CARVING  TABLE. 
NICHOL  &  RYAN,  Appleton,  Wis.,  write: 

"We  send  you  sketch  of  job  we  have  just  done,  and 
the  job  works  all  right  except  the  carving  table.  We 
would  like  to  get  your  opinion  in  regard  to  the  best 
system  of  heating  the  table  successfully.  The  fix- 
tures  on  the  first  floor  were  already  in,  but  we  have 
added  the  boiler  and  heater  in  the  basement." 

[We  cannot  advise  a  much  better  method  of  warm- 
ing a  carving  table  than  to  use  a  hot-water  circula- 
tion. Steam  and  gas  may  be  substituted  for  the  hot 
water,  but  a  well-arranged  hot-water  apparatus  is  the 
simplest.  There  appear  two  reasons  why  the  carving 
table  does  not  work  to  your  satisfaction.  In  the  first 
place  it  is  very  probable  that  the  table  remains  air- 
bound  or  partially  so.  It  is  the  highest  section  of  the 


HEATING   A   CARVING   TABLE. 


coil  and  receives  a  great  part  of  the  air  from  the 
water  of  the  whole  system.  In  ordinary  hot-water 
heating  apparatus,  the  water  keeps  on  circulating 
and  soon  becomes  free  from  air  which  will  separate, 
but  in  a  combination  like  this,  air  is  constantly  car- 
ried into  the  pipes  with  the  fresh  water  for  house 
purposes.  Therefore  you  should  put  an  automatic 
air  valve  on  the  highest  part  of  the  coil  and  see  that 
the  alignment  of  all  the  pipes  is  perfect  enough  to 
permit  all  the  air  to  reach  the  air  cock.  A  small  pipe 
from  the  coil  to  the  branch  to  bathtub,  as  shown  by 
dotted  line  or,  will  be  a  good  substitute  for  the  air 
cock,  if  it  is  convenient  to  put  it  in  properly.  This 
little  pipe  must  rise  gradually  to  the  point  of  connec- 
tion with  the  pipe  d,  if  you  use  it. 

The  second  reason  why  the  apparatus  does  not 
work  satisfactorily  is  that  you  are  trying  to  return  all 
the  water  to  the  heater  through  the  pipe  a.  Cut  off 
the  pipe  c,  at  the  elbow  c' ,  and  removing  the  portion 
between  that  point  and  pipe  a,  extend  it,  as  indi- 
cated by  dotted  line  b,  running  it  into  the  heater  as 
shown  on  the  opposite  side.  This  will  improve  the 
circulation.J 


TEMPERATURE  OBSERVATIONS  OF  HOT- 
WATER  PIPES. 

M.  C.  F.,  St.  Louis,  writes: 

"  Do  you  know  of  any  way  in  which  I  can  find  out 
the  temperature  of  the  water  in  the  pipes  of  a  hot- 
water  job  without  breaking  the  pipe  line  to  put  in  a 
thermometer  cup  ? " 

[Place  the  bulb  of  a  thermometer  against  the  pipe 
and  put  a  lump  of  putty  over  the  bulb  so  as  to  press 
the  bulb  against  the  pipe.  You  might  further  pre- 
vent radiation  from  the  bulb  by  putting  cotton  waste 
outside  of  the  putty.  String  can  then  be  wrapped 
about  the  whole  so  as  to  hold  it  in  position.  If  this 
is  carefully  done  the  thermometer  will  register  within 
i  degree  of  the  temperature  of  the  water  in  the 
pipe.] 


FRICTION  OF  ELBOWS   IN   HOT-WATER 

PIPE. 
C.  B.,  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  writes: 

"  Mr.  Baldwin's  book  on  hot- water  heating  is  au- 
thority for  the  statement  that  the  friction  of  two  45- 
degree  elbows  is  equal  to  that  of  one  go-degree  elbow. 
I  have  generally  understood  that  the  friction  of  a  45- 
degree  elbow  was  scarcely  perceptible  and  of  no 
consequence  in  steamfitting.  I  have  seen  two  of 
them  used  in  hot-water  work  in  place  of  a  90  degree 
elbow.  Suppose  now  I  am  running  a  line  of  pipes 
through  a  cellar  and  wanted  to  take  outside  branches 
and  turn  on  90  degrees  at  the  end.  If  instead  of 
using  the  common  cross  and  elbow  I  use  a  45-degree 
Y  and  two  45-degree  elbows,  will  the  friction  be  as 
great?  I  have  stopped  using  the  bull-headed  tee  on 
the  ends  of  lines,  and  instead  I  use  a  Y  with  a  45- 
degree  elbow.  Is  this  advisable?  " 

[The  friction  of  two  45-degree  elbows  is  exactly 
equal  to  one  of  90  degrees,  the  radius  being  the  same 
in  both  cases.  This  is  for  pipe  smooth  on  the  inside, 
where  the  diameter  of  the  elbows  and  the  diameter 
of  the  pipe  is  the  same.  With  common  fittings  the 
resistance  of  two  45-degree  elbows  is  greater  than 
one  go-degree.  There  is  probably  an  advantage, 
however,  in  using  a  Y  with  a  45-degree  elbow  on 
straight  lines,  and  also  on  the  ends  of  lines  as  you 
are  using  them.  It  is  only  the  substitution  of  two 
45-degree  elbows  with  their  attendant  nipples  for  one 
go-degree  elbow  to  which  objection  can  be  made.] 


CLEANING    OUT   A    HOT-WATER    HEATER. 

E.  P.  W,,  Xenia,  O.,  writes: 

"  I  have  a  hot-water  heating  boiler  in  my  residence. 
It  has  not  been  cleaned  out  this  winter,  and  I  imagine 
it  would  heat  better  if  it  was  cleaned.  The  person 
who  put  it  in  says  there  is  no  need  of  cleaning  it  until 
the  end  of  the  season,  while  the  engineer  at  my  fac- 
tory 'blows  off'  his  boiler  every  two  weeks.  The  water 
is  then  found  to  be  very  dirty  and  the  boiler  works 
better  after  blowing  off.  Which  is  right?" 

[Both  are  right,  as  the  conditions  are  very  different. 
Your  factory  boiler  may  evaporate  a  thousand  gallons 
of  water,  more  or  less,  during  each  day  with  its  pro- 
portionate amount  of  dirt  left  to  settle  in  the  boiler. 
Your  hot-water  boiler  is  not  intended  to  evaporate 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


its  water  into  steam.  Its  duty  is  to  heat  the  water 
and  pass  it  off  to  the  various  heater  coils,  radiators, 
or  stacks  through  your  house.  This  water  is  then  re- 
turned to  the  boiler  to  be  reheated  and  this  action  is 
kept  up  continuously  so  long  as  required.  As  there 
should  be  no  escape  of  steam,  the  only  loss  from  the 
original  charging  of  the  apparatus  should  be  from 
imperceptible  leaks,  evaporation  from  the  expansion 
tank,  overflowing,  or  from  water  being  drawn  off. 
All  of  these  sources  with  proper  care  should  show  a 
loss  of  only  a  small  amount  during  the  season.  The 
probable  amount  of  deposit  in  your  boiler  will  not  be 
enough  under  ordinary  conditions  to  require  the 
trouble  of  removing  it  until  the  heating  season  is 
over.] 


TO    PREVENT    HOT-WATER    RADIATORS 
FROM  FREEZING  WHEN  NOT  IN  USE. 

S.  P.  J.,  of  Boston,  inquires  "  whether,  in  a  sys- 
tem of  direct  water  heating,  there  is  any  way  pro- 
vided for  relieving  the  pipes  and  radiators  of  water 
when  shut  off. 

"As  for  instance,  you  have  two  spare  rooms  on  the 
north  side  of  your  house  which  are  rarely  used.  It 
follows  that  if  connections  are  closed,  leaving  the 
pipes  and  radiators  full  of  water,  they  would  freeze 
up.  Therefore  it  would  seem  as  though  a  con- 
tinuous circulation  must  be  kept  up  in  every  room, 
in  direct  water  heating,  unless  there  is  some  way  of 
relieving  the  pipes  and  radiators  of  water  in  rooms 
not  used.  How  is  that  done  ? " 

[It  would  ordinarily  be  impracticable  to  provide 
means  for  drawing  off  the  water  from  every  radiator 
of  a  hot-water  system  when  not  in  use.  The  usual 
method  of  preventing  freezing  is  to  have  the  valves 
sufficiently  off  the  seat;  that  is,  just  a  little  open,  so 
as  to  keep  up  a  slow  circulation,  just  sufficient  to 
prevent  the  temperature  from  falling  below  40  to  50 
degrees  in  cold  weather. 

In  a  single  circuit  apparatus  in  which  there  is  a 
separate  circuit  from  the  boiler  direct  to  each  radi- 
ator or  small  group  of  radiators,  with  stop  valves  at 
the  boiler  and  a  drip  valve  in  each  pipe  (such  as  is 
sometimes  used  in  hot-water  circuits  in  fine  work,  to 
draw  off  for  repairs),  each  circuit  may  be  emptied 
separately,  if  desired,  but  we  do  not  advise  the  use 
of  such  valves  in  a  hot-water  heating  apparatus 
merely  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  freezing.  The 
best  way  to  prevent  the  freezing  of  a  radiator  is  to 
let  it  defend  itself  from  frost. 

An  example  of  single-circuit  work,  where  draw-off 
pipes  are  used  as  above  described,  will  be  found  on 
page  173  of  Baldwin's  book  on  "  Hot- Water  Heating 
and  Fitting."] 


HEATING  BY  STEAM   FROM  AN  ELECTRIC 

LIGHT  PLANT. 
J.  H.  F.,  Middletown,  Pa.,  writes: 

"  I  have  a  problem  in  relation  to  heating  several 
buildings  by  steam  from  an  electric  plant.  The 
plant  in  question  is  an  electric  light  plant  containing 


two  horizontal  tubular  boilers  of  150  horse-power 
each.  In  the  summer-time  these  boilers  supply  steam 
for  operating  an  electric  street  railway  and  an  electric 
lighting  plant,  the  latter  requiring  but  one-fourth  of 
my  boiler  power.  As  the  railroad  is  not  used  in  the 
winter-time  I  thought  of  supplying  steam  to  heat 
several  buildings  in  the  vicinity.  Two  plans  have 
been  suggested,  ana  I  would  like  to  have  your  opinion 
upon  them.  We  thought  of  running  one  boiler  to  its 
full  capacity  and  use  the  excess  steam  for  heating, 
using  a  reducing  valve  to  bring  the  pressure  down. 
If  we  did  this  we  would  be  unable  to  return  the 
water  by  gravity  to  the  boiler,  and  would  have  to  use 
a  pump  unless  we  let  the  condensation  from  the 
radiators  go  to  waste,  and  thus  lose  the  heat  it  con- 
tained. We  would  have  to  lay  out  one  pipe,  as  we 
are  not  returning  the  condensation  from  the  radiators. 
The  other  plan  is  to  disconnect  the  two  boilers  and 
use  one  at  high  pressure  to  supply  the  engine  and 
one  at  low  pressure  for  heating.  The  only  point  I 
can  see  in  favor  of  this  is,  we  do  not  lose  the  heat  con- 
tained in  the  return  water.  Do  you  think  this  water 
could  be  returned  through  the  main  pipe  similar  to  a 
one-pipe  system?  Do -you  think  either  of  the  two 
plans  suggested  practicable,  and  if  so,  which  do  you 
think  would  be  the  most  economical,  and  what  would 
be  a  fair  price  to  charge  per  100  square  feet  of 
radiation  delivered,  coal  costing  us  $2.60  per  gross 
ton  ?  " 

[You  have  a  total  of  300  horse-power  in  boilers,* 
and  of  this  225  horse-power  is  available  for  heating 
buildings.  We  would  not  advise  your  using  low- 
pressure  steam,  as  you  would  probably  have  to  carry 
it  some  distance,  and  this  would  require  very  large 
pipes.  If  you  use  high-pressure  steam  the  pipes 
would  be  much  smaller  and  there  would  probably  be 
less  loss  due  to  condensation,  as  the  radiating  sur- 
face of  the  pipes  would  be  much  less. 

If  you  use  a  high-pressure  system  you  can  put  a 
reducing  valve  on  the  supply  pipe  as  it  enters  each 
building.  The  fact  that  the  steam  expands  in  pass- 
ing through  a  reducing  valve,  a  portion  of  the  con- 
densation  or  moisture  in  the  pipes  would  be  re-evap- 
orated. Generally  it  is  better  to  let  the  condensation 
go  to  waste  in  each  building  than  to  use  a  return 
system  for  long  lines,  as  the  pressure  would  varv  be- 
tween the  different  buildings,  each  building  being 
under  the  control  of  a  different  person.  This,  you 
can  readily  see,  would  cause  trouble  in  the  common 
return  pipe,  as  the  water  would  tend  to  back  up  in 
the  buildings  supplied  with  the  lower  pressures.  The 
New  York  Steam  Company  abandoned  the  use  of 
returns  some  years  ago  as  they  could  not  be  made  to 
work  satisfactorily.  You  will  not,  in  most  instances, 
be  obliged  to  throw  away  the  heat  in  the  condensed 
water,  as  it  can  be  used  in  some  of  the  buildings  to 
warm  the  water  for  the  house  supply.  In  a  hotel  it 
can  be  used  in  a  number  of  such  ways,  and  in  a  pri- 
vate house  for  warming  a  hot-water  indirect  stack. 

In  estimating  the  steam  used  for  heating  in  a  low- 
pressure  system  a  rough  way  is  to  allow  that  i 
square  foot  of  radiating  surface  will  condense  from 
one-fourth  to  one-third  of  a  pound  of  steam  per 
square  foot  per  hour  if  the  radiating  surface  is 
properly  proportioned.  A  more  accurate  way,  as 
each  system  would  probably  be  drained  by  a  trap, 
would  be  to  weigh  the  discharge  from  the  trap  and 
find  out  what  each  tenant  is  using.  In  estimating 


SCO 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


the  running  expenses  of  your  plant  you  should  add  in 
the  wages  of  your  fireman,  and  12^  per  cent  of  the 
cost  of  your  plant  to  cover  the  interest  and  deprecia- 
tion in  its  value,  as  well  as  your  coal  bill.  You 
could  then  charge  accordingly,  as  you  knew  approxi- 
mately what  each  tenant  is  using.  Steam  charges 
in  New  York  vary  from  $50  to  $100  per  horse-power 


per  year  of  300  lo-hour  days,  depending  on  the 
amount  of  steam  taken  by  the  customer.  A  horse- 
power in  this  instance  means  30  pounds  weight  of 
steam  per  hour. 

We  believe  it  would  pay  you  to  engage  the  services 
of  a  competent  expert  to  look  over  your  plant  and  re- 
port upon  the  most  advantageous  system  to  adopt.} 


HEATING   SURFACE. 


EFFICIENCY  OF  HOT-WATER  RADIATORS. 

W.  B.  L.,  Cleveland,  O.,  writes: 

"Can  you  give  me  a  rule  for  determining  the  heat 
given  off  by  hot-water  radiators  ? " 

[The  rule  as  given  by  Baldwin's  book  on  "Hot- 
Water  Heating  and  Fitting"  (Chapter  X.)  is,  that  a 
square  foot  of  heating  surfaces  radiates  twice  as 
many  heat  units  per  hour  as  there  is  difference  in 
degrees  between  the  temperature  of  the  hot  water  in 
the  pipes  and  temperature  in  the  room.  For  in- 
stance, if  your  water  is  at  170  degrees  and  the  room 
at  70  degrees,  the  difference  of  these,  100,  multiplied 
by  twice  the  number  of  square  feet  of  radiation,  will 
be  the  number  of  heat  units  radiated  per  hour.] 


PIPE    SURFACE    FOR   GREENHOUSE 

WARMING. 

REFERRING  to  the  article  on  "  Heating  a  Green- 
house," published  in  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 
March  29, 1890,  John  A.  Scollay,  of  Brooklyn,  sends  the 
appended  table  of  pipe  surface  required  for  different 
temperatures.  The  table  is  somewhat  simpler  than 
the  one  previously  published,  being  arranged  for  100 
square  feet  of  glass  surface. 


Table  Showing  the  Amount  of  Pipe  4  Inches  m 
Diameter  that  will  Heat  too  Square  Feet  of 
Glass  Exposure  any  Required  Number  of 
Degrees,  the  Temperature  of  the  Pipes  being 
200  Degrees  Fahrenheit; 


Temperature  of 
External  Air. 

Temperature  at  which  the  House  is 
Required  to  be  Kept. 

40 

45 

5° 

33 
32 
31 
30 

29 
»8 

*l 
26 

25 
24 

22 
22 
21 
2O 
«9 

18 
18 

'7 
16 

'5 
'4 

55 

60 

65 

70 

75 

80 

59 
58 
56 
55 

54 
53 
Si 

5° 
49 
48 

47 

46 

44 
43 

42 

4» 

39 
38 
37 
36 
35 

26 

25 

25 
24 
23 

22 
21 
2O 
19 
19 

18 
'7 
16 
'5 
»4 
'3 
13 

12 
II 
IO 

9 

30 

2Q 

28 
27 
36 
25 
24 
23 

'22 

21 
20 

19 

18 

17 
17 
16 
iS 
>4 
»3 

12 
II 

36 
35 
34 
33 
3* 
3i 
3° 
29 

2§ 
28 

27 
26 

25 
24 

23 

22 
21 
'9 
19 

18 
«7 

4° 

39 
38 

3Z 
3<5 

35 
34 
33 
32 
31 
3° 
29 

£8 

27 
26 

25 

»4 
23 

22 

at 

20 

45 

43 
42 
41 
4° 

39 
38 

P 

35 
34 
33 
32 
3* 
3° 
29 
28 
27 
26 
25 
»3 

48 
47 
46 
45 
44 
43 
42 
4' 
40 

3 

$ 
35 
34 
33 
32 
31 
3° 

29 
28 

53 
52 
51 

$> 
49 
48 

47 
46 
45 
44 
43 
41 
40 
39 
38 
37 
35 
34 
33 
S2 
31 

j8                  

X6       

8              

6  

Zero             .    

2  above  -.,    _„  . 

6  

8  

16  

18  

20  ...         .                .. 

VENTILATION  — NOTES  AND  QUERIES. 


LOUVERS. 


LOUVER  IN  VENTILATOR  FOR  TRAIN- 
SHED  ROOF  TO  LET  OUT  SMOKE 
AND  EXCLUDE  SNOW. 

THE  CANADIAN  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  COMPANY, 
ENGINEER'S  DEPARTMENT, 

MONTREAL,  November  i,  1888. 
SIR:  Can  you  tell  me  where  I  can  find  a  drawing 
or  description,  or  where  I  can  see  a  louver  in  a  ven- 
tilator of  a  trainshed  roof  so  arranged  that  it  will 
properly  carry  out  smoke  and  at  the  same  time  keep 
fine  snow  from  drifting  in  ? 

ALLEN  PETERSON,  Engineer. 

[Having  heard  that  Mr.  C.  L.  Strobel,  C.  E.,  of 
Chicago,  had  designed  something  for  this  purpose, 
we  wrote  him  regarding  it,  and  are  indebted  to  him 


CHICAGO  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  TRAINSHED,  CHICAGO. 


for    the    following    description    and   accompanying 
sketch.     Mr.  Strobel  says: 

"  I  send  you  some  sketches  showing  the  arrange- 
of  louver  in  trainshed  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee, 
and  St.  Paul  Railroad  at  Milwaukee,  and  on  the 
Chicago  and  Great  Western  trainshed  at  Chicago 
(Wisconsin  Central  Line).  The  latter  is  now  under 
construction  by  the  Keystone  Bridge  Company,  S.  S. 
Beman,  architect.  The  sketches  also  show  the  smoke 
jack  used  on  the  Milwaukee  trainshed.  The  ar- 
rangement adopted  at  Milwaukee  has  been  used  in 
a  number  of  instances,  and  I  think  accomplishes  the 
object  fairly  well  of  providing  ventilation,  keeping 
out  the  rain  and,  to  some  extent,  snow.  I  do  not 
know  of  any  plan  by  which  snow  can  be  entirely  ex- 
cluded, so  long  as  there  is  ventilation.  Fine,  drift- 
ing snow  will  find  its  way  through  the  double  win- 
dows of  a  Pullman  car  in  a  strong  wind,  and  it  will 
of  course  pass  through  the  louver  openings  and  into 
the  trainshed,  to  some  extent."] 


We  are  indebted  to  Charles  M.  Jarvis,  President  of 
the  Berlin  Iron  Bridge  Company,  New  Berlin,  Conn., 
for  the  shop  drawings  from  which  we  have  been  en- 
abled to  prepare  the  accompanying  illustrations.  It 
is  sent  in  response  to  the  foregoing  inquiry.  Mr. 
Jarvis  says: 

"  EAST  BERLIN,  CONN.,  November  19,  1888. 

' '  Sir:  Referring  to  the  communication  of  Mr.  Allen 
Peterson,  Engineer  of  the  Canada  Pacific  Railway 
Company,  in  reference  to  a  louver  in  the  ventilator  of 
a  trainshed  roof,  we  inclose  herewith  a  blue-print 
drawing  of  a  louver  designed  by  us  for  a  trainshed 
which  we  built  some  two  years  ago  for  the  N.  Y.  N. 
H.  &  H.  R.  R.  Co  ,  at  New  Haven,  Conn. 

' '  There  can  be  no  louver  designed  which  will  ven- 
tilate a  trainshed  and  at  the  same  time  keep  fine 
snow  from  blowing  in.  We  believe,  however,  the 


CHICAGO,   MILWAUKEE,   AND   ST.   PAUL  RAILROAD   TRAINSHED,   MILWAUKEE. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


inclosed  to  be  the  best  thing  of  the  kind  that 
can  be  used,  as  the  snow  must  have  an  upward 
motion  in  order  to  get  through  the  slats  of  the 
louver." 

[Figure  i  is  a  section  of  louver  showing  a  main  post 
attached  to  the  roof  truss. 


Figure  4  is  a  section  showing  an  intermediate  post; 
B  B  is  the  line  of  the  skylight,  and  A  A  that  of  the 
other  purlins. 

Figures  2  and  4  are  side  elevations  of  part  01  the 
louver,  the  former  at  an  intermediate  point  and  the 
latter  at  one  end,  at  X  X  X  X,  Fig.  i. 


VENTILATORS   OF  CARSHEDS  AT  NEW  HAVEN,   CONN. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


The  louver  boards  overlap  half  an  inch  at  the  ends, 
as  shown  by  the  dimensions  and  the  vertical  lines  at 
center  of  Fig.  2,  which  are  both  drawn  full  for  clear- 
ness.] 


In  further  response  to  Mr.  Peterson's  letter  the 
arrangement  in  the  New  York  Metropolitan  Opera 
House  is  shown. 

Figure  i  is  a  section  of  roof  and  louver  over  the 
auditorium.  F  H,  F  H  is  the  roof  line;  H  K,  K  H  is 
a  polygonal  louver;  D  E,  D  E  is  a  water-tight  ceil- 
ing; C  D,  D  C  is  a  shaft  that  may  be  closed  by  the 
cap  B  when  lowered  by  windlass  A  to  position  C  C. 
When  B  is  raised  the  foul  air  escapes  as  shown  by 
the  arrows. 

Figures  3  and  4  are  details  in  section  and  elevation 
respectively  of  the  galvanized-iron  outlet  conduits 
T  T,  etc.,  through  the  louver  walls. 

Figure  2  is  a  partial  elevation  of  the  louver,  where, 
as  in  Fig.  i,  the  conduits  T  T,  etc.,  are  shown  by 


VENTILATING  LOUVER   IN   THE   METROPOLITAN 
OPERA   HOUSE. 

single  heavy  lines.  The  air  in  the  building  is  gen- 
erally under  a  slight  pressure  from  the  ventilation 
fans.  It  is  said  that  the  arrangement  is  satisfactory, 
and  that  no  snow  or  rain  penetrates  the  louver. 


Our  illustrations  are  prepared  from  sketches  fur- 
nished through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  S.  J.  McKay,  the 
Chief  Engineer  of  the  steam  plant,  etc.,  of  the 
Opera  House. 


DAMPER  TO  PREVENT  BACK  DRAFTS. 
THE  two  appended  sketches  show  a  device  for  a 
damper  put  upon  the  discharge  of  a  ventilating  duct 


FlG.I. 


FIG  .2. 


DAMPER  TO  PREVENT  BACK  DRAFTS. 

to  prevent  a  back  draft  by  Messrs.  Reed  &  Stern, 
architects,  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  It  is  a  detail  of  the 
heating  plant  of  the  Medical  College  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Minnesota.  Figure  i  shows  the  end  of  the 
ventilating  duct  discharging  into  a  space  between 
the  attic  ceiling  and  the  roof.  The  damper  is  shown 
in  detail  by  Fig.  2.  It  consists  of  a  wooden  frame, 
which  is  fastened  to  the  opening  of  the  discharge 
duct.  A  fine  wire  screen  is  fastened  over  the  frame. 
Small  sheets  of  oil  silk  are  then  fastened  on  in  the 
manner  shown,  the  lower  edge  of  each  overlapping 
the  upper  edge  of  the  sheet  below  in  the  manner  of 
shingles  on  a  roof.  The  slightest  outward  pressure 
causes  this  damper  to  open  and  allow  the  exit  of  air, 
while  a  slight  back  pressure  will  close  the  flaps,  thus 
preventing  the  foul  air  in  the  chamber  from  being 
forced  back  into  the  living-rooms  of  the  building. 


SIZE   OF   FLUES. 


EXHAUST  VENTILATION  UNUSED. 

INQUIRER,  Bowdoinham,  Me.,  writes: 

"i.  In  ventilating  a  building  by  the  exhaust-tan 
system,  the  ducts  being  small  and  velocity  high,  what 
consideration  must  be  given  to  fireplace  flues,  built 
for  ornament  and  not  for  practical  use?  If  such  flues 
are  run  up  an  inner  wall  the  temperature  of  the  air 
within  them  might  be  nearly  that  of  the  rooms.  The 
question  is,  which  way  would  the  current  be — down 
the  flues  into  the  room,  being  drawn  by  the  fan,  or 
up  the  flues  notwithstanding  the  exhaust  current? 

"  2.  In  ventilation  is  high  velocity  considered  good 
practice  ? 

"3.  What  advantage  is  gained  by  extending  hot- 
air  ducts  nearly  to  ceiling  ?  " 


[The  answer  to  the  first  question  is  that  it  depends 
upon  the  presence  and  sufficiency  of  special  inlets  for 
fresh  air.  If  an  exhaust  fan  is  connected  wUh  a 
room  to  which  special  fresh-air  inlets  have  not  been 
provided — a  not  uncommon  blunder — there  will  be  a 
suction  into  the  room  through  all  available  openings, 
including  fireplace  flues,  and  the  result  will  depend 
on  the  number,  size,  and  position  of  these  openings. 
It  will  come  from  the  point  of  least  resistance,  where 
there  is  the  least  friction  and  the  least  distance  to 
travel.  If  the  window  is  open  it  will  pour  in  through 
that.  If  the  windows  fit  tightly  and  there  are  few 
cracks  in  the  walls  or  floors,  it  will  come  down  the 


304 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


fireplace  flue.     If  an  exhaust  fan  is  connected  with 
a  room  having  a  fireplace  flue,  fresh-air  inlets  should 
be  provided  of  sufficient  size  to  give  a  free  supply  to 
both  the  fan  and  the  flue  in  order  to  prevent  them    . 
from  pulling  against  each  other. 

In  reply  to  the  second  question  it  may  be  said  that 
high  velocities  are  now  in  general  use  in  the  mechan- 
ical ventilation  of  buildings,  and  especially  in  what 
are  known  as  hot-blast  systems.  The  reason  for  this 
is  that  the  pipes  and  ducts  can  be  made  compara- 
tively small,  thus  saving  in  space  and  cost.  It  re- 
quires more  power  to  force  a  given  quantity  of  air  in 
a  given  time  through  a  system  of  small  flues  than  it 
does  to  force  the  same  quantity  of  air  through  large 
flues  in  the  same  time,  owing  to  the  rapid  increase 
of  friction  with  increase  of  velocity.  Hence,  high 
velocity  plants  are  cheaper  in  original  cost  and  take 
up  less  space,  but  are  more  expensive  to  run.  They 
are  preferred  by  contractors,  but  it  is  usually  not  to 
the  owner's  interest  to  have  flues  so  small  that  a  ve- 
locity of  more  than  360  feet  per  minute  must  be  main- 
tained in  them  to  give  the  quantity  of  air  required. 

With  regard  to  the  third  question,  the  chief  ad- 
vantage of  extending  hot-air  ducts  up  so  that  their 
openings  shall  be  well  above  the  heads  of  those  occu- 
pying the  room,  is  that  it  permits  of  forcing  the 
air  in  with  considerable  velocity  without  producing 
the  unpleasant  drafts  which  would  be  caused  if  the 
openings  were  near  the  floor,  and  therefore  permits 
of  the  use  of  smaller  flues  and  registers.] 


SIZE  OF  CHIMNEY  FLUE  FOR  BOILER. 
W.  W.  WOOD,  Honesdale,  Pa.,  writes: 
"  We  have  a  house  which  calls  for  300  square  feet 
of  direct  and  190  square  feet  of  indirect  radiating 
surface.     The  boiler  used  is   capable  of  supplying 
650  square  feet  of   direct  radiating   surface.     The 
chimney  flue  is  8x9  inches  and  has  a  good  draft,  but 
fire  in  boiler  burns  very  poorly;  we  claim  the  chim- 
ney flue  should  be  at  least  12x12  inches." 

[A  chimney  flue  of  half  a  square  foot  of  cross- 
section  is  rarely  enough  for  a  house-heating  boiler 
even  of  the  smallest  size. 

In  very  cold  weather,  with  the  apparatus  you  de- 
scribe, the  consumption  of  coal  may  be  reasonably 
set  at  20  pounds  per  hour.  Each  pound  of  fuel  will 


require  and  liberate  gases  to  the  amount  of  about  600 
cubic  feet  at  the  temperature  which  they  pass  into 
the  chimney,  or  12,000  cubic  feet  in  all.  To  pass  this 
through  a  flue  8x9  inches  or  half  a  square  foot  will 
require  an  effective  velocity  of  6.6  feet  per  second 
over  its  whole  area.  This  velocity,  though  easily 
obtained  theoretically  in  flues  of  any  practical  mag- 
nitude, is  rarely  obtained  in  house  flues  on  account  of 
the  amount  of  resistance  caused  by  rough  brickwork 
and  short  or  square  turns.  The  leakage  of  air  also 
through  the  comparatively  thin  walls  of  the  flue  is 
considerable;  and  when  boilers  have  quick  setting 
there  is  also  a  considerable  infiltration  or  leakage  of 
air  through  the  walls  of  the  setting,  which  has  to 
pass  off  by  the  chimney  flue.  An  8xi2-inch  flue 
might  be  ample,  though  if  we  were  building  a  chim- 
ney we  would  make  it  12x12  inches,  if  of  brick.  A 
12-inch  circular  pipe  built  into  the  walls  we  consider 
equally  as  good  as  a  1 2-inch  square  when  made  of 
brick,  as  they  are  usually  built.] 


SIZE  OF  VENTILATING  FLUE. 
WILLIAM  JENNINGS,  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  writes: 
"  We  have  an  opera-house  which  we  desire  to  ven- 
tilate.    It  has  a  ground  floor,  first  and  second  gal- 
leries.    Our  idea  is  to  put  in  a  flue  and  take  the  foul 
air  out  at  each  of  the  three  floors.     What  we  desire  to 
know  is,  shall  the  flue  be  of  uniform  size,  or  increase 
at  each  floor?     If  so,  in  what  ratio  and  in  what  part 
of  the  flue  shall  the  coil  of  steam  pipes  be  placed  ? " 

[Generally  speaking,  a  ventilating  flue  or  shaft,  as 
in  this  case,  must  be  larger  than  might  at  first  be 
supposed  in  order  to  satisfactorily  meet  the  require- 
ments of  successful  operation.  It  is  usually  made  of 
practically  uniform  size  from  the  bottom  up. 

As  to  the  location  of  the  steam  pipe  coil  in  the 
shaft,  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  aspirating 
power  of  the  shaft  depends  on  the  height  of  the 
column  of  heated  air  as  well  as  on  the  difference  be- 
tween the  temperature  in  the  shaft  and  that  of  the 
external  air.  It  is  therefore  evident  that  the  nearer 
the  bottom  of  the  shaft  the  heat  is  applied  the 
greater  will  be  the  efficiency.  The  lowest  point  at 
which  the  coil  is  placed  should,  however,  be  above 
the  entrance  of  the  highest  foul-air  flue.] 


SIZE   OF   REGISTERS. 


RATIO  OF  REGISTER  AREA  TO  RADIATING 
SURFACE. 

J.  MURCHISON,  New  York,  writes: 

"  I  have  had  a  discussion  with  a  friend  as  to  the 
proper  ratio  between  the  area  of  a  hot-air  register 
and  the  surface  of  indirect  stacks  of  a  hot- water  job. 
As  we  could  not  agree  I  thought  I  would  write  to 
you  for  your  opinion  in  the  matter." 

f A  common  rule  for  this  proportion  is  to  allow  i 
square  inch  of  flue  area  for  every  square  foot  of 
radiating  surface  in  your  indirect  stack.  You  must 


never  have  less  flue  area  than  this,  and  sometimes 
more,  depending  whether  or  not  there  are  any  sharp 
bends  in  flue  or  long  horizontal  distances  to  make  an 
excessive  amount  of  friction.  Vertical  distance  does 
not  enter  into  the  problem  to  any  great  extent,  as  the 
increase  in  velocity  due  to  a  greater  height  of  flue 
tends  to  balance  the  increase  of  friction  due  to  the 
increase  of  length.  You  should  have  twice  as  much 
register  area  as  flue  area  to  allow  for  the  fretwork  in 
the  design  of  the  register.] 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


305 


ALLOWANCE  FOR  FRICTION  IN  REGISTER 
OPENINGS. 

E.  F.  KITTED,  Chicago,  111.,  writes  : 

"  In  your  issue  giving  an  account  of  the  warming 
and  ventilation  of  the  Honesdale  School,  I  notice  in 
the  table  of  size  of  registers  that  a  26x2o-inch  is  taken 
of  the  capacity  of  3.5  square  feet,  whereas  the  actual 
area  of  opening  of  '  fretwork '  is  usually  taken  as 
one-third  inch  less  26x20  inches  =  520  inches,  less 

^  inches  =  346.32  inches  =  2.4  feet.     The  line 


REGISTER 


velocity  through  this  register  is  given  as  305  feet; 
305+2.4  gives  43,920  cubic  feet  per  hour,  as  against 
64,020.  Please  explain  if  the  proper  allowance  was 
made  for  friction  or  obstructions  in  the  table." 

[The  engineer  who  made  the  measurements  of  the 
air  in  the  Honesdale  School  experiments  informs  us 
that  it  would  not  be  proper  to  deduct  one-third  from 
the  area  of  the  registers,  as  the  air  velocity  was  not 
measured  in  the  holes  of  the  fretwork,  but  2  inches 


in  front  of  the  register  face.  His  method  of  measur- 
ing air  currents  at  register  faces,  he  explains,  is  to 
commence  at  one  corner,  and  pass  the  anemometer 
over  the  face  of  the  register  in  a  manner  as  shown  by 
the  dotted  lines,  reaching  the  center  in  about  half  a 
minute,  then  returning  over  the  same  course,  reach- 
ing the  corner  again  at  the  end  of  the  minute  as 
nearly  as  possible.  Should  the  corner  be  reached 
before  the  minute  was  called,  he  would  make  a  few 
oblique  movements  across  the  register  face. 

The  registers  used  were  Persian  pattern,  and  con- 
sequently very  open  in  the  face;  but  even  if  they 
were  asylum  patterns — strong  and  close— it  would 
be  improper  to  deduct  one-third  from  the  flow  of  air 
when  measured  2  or  3  inches  from  the  face  of  the 
register. 

When  register  faces  are  removed  from  the  frames, 
and  the  velocity  measured  in  the  opening,  then  a 
large  allowance  must  be  made  for  the  obstruction  of 
the  fretwork,  but  as  this  allowance  would  be  different 
with  every  different  pattern  of  register  face,  tho  error 
will  be  much  less  if  the  air  is  measured  with  the 
face  on. 

The  distance  of  the  anemometer  from  the  face  of 
the  register  is  not  very  important,  except  that  it 
must  not  be  so  far  from  it  that  air  currents  can 
spread  and  lose  their  velocity  before  they  reach  it. 
If  the  anemometer  was  not  kept  in  motion  as  ex- 
plained before,  then  it  might  be  possible  to  get  too 
high  a  reading  by  having  a  jet  of  air  through  a  hole 
in  the  fretwork  strike  the  blades;  but  while  it  is  in 
motion  it  is  the  average  effect  only  which  reaches  it, 
and  by  keeping  it  2  or  3  inches  from  the  face  the 
stream  of  air  20x26  inches  at  the  recorded  velocity 
is  registered.] 


MISCELLANEOUS. 


PRISON  VENTILATION. 

W.  M.  DUNLAP,  City  Engineer  of  Roanoke,  Va., 
writes: 

"  Can  you  refer  me  to  any  article  that  you  may 
have  published  concerning  the  ventilation  of  jails? 
I  have  heard  that  there  is  a  recent  device  for  this, 
the  general  plan  being  to  have  a  high  chimney  for 
draft,  into  which  the  air  from  the  cells  passes,  being 
led  to  it,  in  a  downward  direction,  by  a  pipe  through 
which  also  the  sewage  passes,  and  is  either  dried  or 
burnt.  I  will  be  glad  to  get  any  information  on  this 
subject." 

[We  are  unable  to  refer  you  to  any  treatise  on  jail 
or  prison  ventilation.  It  is  quite  common,  however, 
to  draw  the  air  from  prison  corridors  through  the 
grated  doors  and  thence  to  a  cast-iron  niche-shaped 
chamber  in  the  wall  at  the  floor  level,  the  upper  end 
of  which  connects  with  a  flue,  the  dimensions  of 
which  are  from  4  to  6  inches  square.  This  flue  runs 
to  the  head  of  the  party  wall  between  any  two  tiers 
of  cells,  and  is  sometimes  connected  with  a  vent 


shaft  or  large  chimney;  often,  however,  it  simply 
opens  into  the  roof  space  and  a  ventilator  is  placed 
on  the  roof.  Many  cells  being  treated  this  way  makes 
the  center  wall  a  stack  of  small  flues,  and  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  make  this  wall  thick  and  heavy  for  this 
reason.  The  niche-shaped  receptacle  is  sufficiently 
wide  and  deep  to  let  the  prisoner's  night  bucket  set 
within  it.  It  is  made  of  cast  iron  with  a  flange  on 
the  face  of  the  wall  and  a  short  iron  collar  extend- 
ing some  little  distance  up  the  flue.  The  object  of 
the  casting  is  to  make  a  neat  finish  and  to  prevent 
prisoners  from  cutting  holes  at  this  point  through  to 
the  next  cell.  The  castings  are  also  anchored  in,  so 
that  a  prisoner  cannot  readily  take  it  from  the  wall 
and  use  it  as  a  shield  to  digging  operations. 

In  some  cases  a  second  flue  is  provided,  starting  at 
the  ceiling  of  the  cell  and  running  parallel  with  the 
first  one  and  terminating  as  it  does.  These  flues 
also  have  a  strong  casting  at  their  lower  ends,  near 
the  ceiling,  and  the  hole  measures  usually  4x4  inches. 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


In  this  way  the  upper  hole  carries  off  the  pro- 
ducts of  combustion  from  lights  and  other  light 
vapors,  and  the  lower  opening  ventilates  the  cell 
at  the  floor  level,  causing  the  air  current  to  pass 
over  the  night  bucket  as  it  ascends  into  the  flue.  The 
latter  probably  gives  rise  to  your  surmise  of  using 
the  vent  hole  for  sewage.  There  is,  however,  a 
scheme  for  ventilating  prison  cells  through  water- 
closet  hoppers  without  traps,  through  wtich  the  air 
of  the  cell  i?  supposed  to  be  drawn  down  into  the 
hopper,  and  allowed  to  escape  through  a  pipe  that 
extends  from  the  soil  pipe  to  the  roof.  We  would  be 
opposed  to  any  such  system  of  ventilation  for  prisons, 
although  it  has  several  advocates  both  in  prison  and 
asylum  construction.  When  used  in  asylums  there 
is  generally  this  difference,  which  may  be  in  its 
favor — namely,  plenum  ventilation  is  generally  used 
with  it,  helping  to  force  the  air  out  through  the 
hopper.  We  consider  such  ventilation,  however, 
both  inadequate  and  dangerous,  because  of  liability 
to  reverse  currents.] 


HEATING   AND   VENTILATING   AN 

HOSPITAL. 
ENGINEER,  Boston,  Mass.,  writes: 

"An  architect  from  'away  down  East,'  with  a 
little  knowledge  of  steam  heating  and  ventilating, 
has  laid  out  a  job  in  this  section,  or,  rather,  has  par- 
tially laid  it  out,  trying  to  separate  the  ventilating 
from  the  heating  part.  He  thinks  he  knows  all  about 
ventilating,  but  admits  that  steam  is  '  beyond  his 
realm.'  I  would  like  to  have  your  opinion  on  a  few 
points. 

"  The  building  is  an  hospital,  each  floor  (first  and 
second)  having  300  beds,  and  containing  180,000  cubic 
feet,  not  including  corridors,  small  rooms,  etc.  The 
building  is  of  wood,  exposed  on  all  sides,  and  has 
fully  the  average  of  glass. 

"  The  architect  has  planned  for  36  hot-air  flues, 
each  12  inches  in  diameter  (18  to  the  first  and  18  to 
the  second  floor),  and  for  44  ventilating  flues,  each  12 
inches  in  diameter  (22  to  each  floor).  He  proposes  to 
draw  the  air  down  to  the  cellar  by  a  ventilating  fan 
located  250  feet  from  the  extremes,  about  as  shown 
in  the  sketch.  He  proposes  to  make  one  is-inch 
pipe  take  the  foul  air  from  four  12-inch  pipes,  thus 
making  n  1 5-inch  ducts,  each  to  enter  a  24-inch  duct, 
or,  say,  five  in  one  branch  and  six  in  the  other. 
Where  the  two  24-inch  main  branches  come  together, 


the  size  of  the  duct  running  to  the  fan  has  not  yet 
been  determined  upon,  except  that  the  architect 
says  that  a  36  inch  wheel  will  do  the  work  easily.  I 
tell  him  that  he  ought  to  use  a  72-inch  wheel.  I  do 
not  fancy  the  idea  of  taking  22  1 2-inch  ducts  into  one 
24-inch  duct,  reducing  the  area  5  ^  times. 

"  I  asked  him  how  much  indirect  heating  surface 
he  wanted  in  each  stack.     He  replied  that  each  stack 


would  supply  two  flues  (12  inches),  but  he  did  not 
know  how  much  surface  was  wanted.  Then  I  asked 
how  often  he  was  going  to  change  the  air,  and  he 
said  'every  15  minutes.'  I  suggested  to  him  that 
heating  and  ventilating  went  together,  and  that  the 
job  should  be  laid  out  as  a  whole,  but  he  evidently 
has  just  about  knowledge  enough  of  the  business  to 
make  the  old  saying  good. 

"  His  chimney  for  the  boilers  is  only  20  inches  in 
diameter,  50  feet  high,  and  extends  to  3  feet  below 
the  main  ridge  of  the  building.  I  asked  why  they 
were  not  carried  up  higher,  and  made  24  inches  in 
diameter,  at  least.  '  Oh,  you  will  get  a  good  draft,' 
he  replied.  The  top  floor  is  to  be  heated  by  direct 
radiation ;  total  cubic  feet  of  space,  362,000 ;  hot 
water  is  to  be  used.  I  estimate  that  75  horse-power 
of  boiler  will  be  required  to  do  the  work  easily,  and  a 
6  or  8-inch  mam  at  the  boiler.  What  do  you  think 
of  the  matter  ? " 

[You  can  safely  predict  a  failure  with  such  an  ar- 
rangement of  flues.  An  hospital  of  300  beds  will 
want  from  1,000,000  to  2,000,000  cubic  feet  of  air  per 
hour,  and  this  much  air  cannot  be  passed  through 
two  24-inch  round  pipes  by  such  fans  or  blowers  as 
are  generally  used  in  hospitals,  and  certainly  not  by 
a  36-inch  propeller  or  air-wheel.  A  system  of  ex- 
haust flues  should  be  designed  so  that  the  trunk  flues 
aggregated  the  area  of  all  the  branches.  This  rule, 
you  are  aware,  may  be  contradicted  on  the  ground 
that  for  pipes  of  equal  short  lengths  the  increase  of 
diameters  will  be  in  the  ratios  of  the  fifth  root  of  the 
square  of  the  branches,  pressure  remaining  constant; 
but  even  this  rule  will  give  you  pipes  greatly  in  ex- 
cess of  those  proposed  by  the  architect.  In  practice, 
however,  you  have  varying  lengths,  and  the  lengths 
of  the  branches,  with  their  short  bends  and  turns  in 
the  wall,  are  relatively  much  greater  than  the  lengths 
of  the  trunks;  therefore  the  only  safe  rule  is  to  have 
the  trunks  aggregate  the  area  of  the  branches. 

To  warm  2,000,000  cubic  feet  of  air  100  degrees 
each  hour  is  the  equivalent  of  4,000  pounds  of  water 
converted  into  steam  in  the  same  time — the  equivalent 
of  about  133  horse-power.  Of  course,  if  the  hospital 
authorities  are  satisfied  with  only  i  ,000,000  cubic  feet 
of  air  in  an  hour,  a  67  horse-power  boiler  will  be  just 
ample,  making  no  allowance  for  contingencies  in 
other  work.  Assuming  therefore  that  you  pass 
2,000,000  cubic  feet  of  air  through  the  hospital  every 
hour,  it  will  require  a  chimney  at  least  2  feet  square 
or  4  square  feet;  but  if  we  were  building  the  same 
we  would  not  risk  our  reputation  by  making  it  so 
small,  and  would  certainly  have  it  30  inches  on  the 
side,  or  6%  square  feet  in  area.] 


VENTILATING  A  VAULT. 
D.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  writes: 

"If  you  will  kindly  answer  the  following  without 
much  trouble  to  yourself,  I  should  be  very  glad  to 
have  you  do  so.  I  cannot  ask  you  to  consider  it  at 
length,  but  would  like  a  brief  explanation.  I  found 
the  problem  the  other  day  in  a  country  house  near 
here  and  wondered  if  it  could  have  any  simple,  inex- 
pensive solution. 

"A  storage  vault,  8x15  feet  and  10  feet  deep,  below 
ground  surface,  with  no  opening  when  the  door  is 
closed,  except  a  i-foot  square  hole  in  the  brick  arched 
roof,  opening  into  an  air  chamber  3  or  4  feet  high 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


30? 


over  the  whole  vault,  the  latter  having  two  windows 
to  open  air.  How  can  the  vault  be  sufficiently  ven- 
tilated in  a  cheap  way?  Would  a  duct  B  (Fig.  i) 
from  the  side  of  the  house  above  the  windows  to  near 
the  bottom  convey  any  air?" 

[Without  some  mechanical  power,  or  its  equivalent 
in  heat,  you  cannot  move  air  enough  to  give  satis- 
factory results.  You  want,  if  possible,  to  dry  the  air, 
lessen  its  humidity,  and  cleanse  it  sufficient  to  pre- 
vent the  growth  of  fungus.  Cold  air  in  a  hole  be- 
neath the  ground  is  just  like  water  in  a  hole  in  one 


respect.  It  is  heavier  than  the  surrounding  and  su- 
perimposed atmosphere  and  must  be  pumped  out;  in 
other  words,  every  pound  of  it  that  is  lifted  will  rep- 
resent work  done. 

Above  the  ground  level  it  also  takes  power  to  move 
air,  but  generally  the  air  is  warmer  than  the  outside 
atmosphere,  and  thus  the  draft  in  chimneys,  etc., 
goes  on,  as  the  pressure  outside  is  greater,  but  in  the 
case  of  the  vault  there  is  light,  warm  air  above  it  that 
cannot  descend  to  press  the  cold  and  heavy  air  out, 
and  there  it  will  stay  unless  forced  or  drawn  out, 
which  means  the  same  thing. 

If  you  can  connect  the  pipe  B,  which  you  propose, 
to  a  warm  chimney,  it  will  draw  the  air  out  from  the 
bottom,  admitting  fresh  air  at  A.  But  as  you  show 
it,  against  the  wall  of  the  house,  it  will  do  no  good 
unless  the  sun  shines  against  it  all  the  time. 


If  there  is  no  warm  flue  in  the  house  to  spare,  put 
a  little  heat — steam  coil — into  B  above  the  vault,  or 
so  that  it  will  not  not  warm  the  vault,  and  that  will 
do.  If  you  can  tap  a  fan  or  air  pipe,  which  we  pre- 
sume improbable,  a  small  inlet  4  to  6  inches  will  do, 
near  the  floor.  Then  if  you  can  take  advantage  of 
prevailing  winds,  make  a  cowl  C  with  a  large  vane 
that  will  always  hold  it  into  the  wind;  when  placed 
on  B  it  will  do  for  a  great  part  of  the  time  if  you  ex- 
tend the  duct  above  the  housetop.  The  double  vane 
will  keep  the  cowl  from  swinging  about.] 


HOW  MUCH  COLD  AIR  TO  ADMIT  AND  HOW 

TO  RETAIN  IT  WHEN  WARMED. 
SUBSCRIBER,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  asks: 

"  Have  you  any  rule  governing  the  admission  of 
cold  air  to  either  hot- water  or  steam  indirect  stacks  ? 

"  What  is  your  remedy  for  overcoming  the  warm 
air  passing  out  through  cold-air  boxes,  there  being 
fireplaces  with  good  draft  for  ventilation  in  each 
room  ?  The  house  is  isolated  and  very  much  ex- 
posed. 

'  What  is  the  best  mode  of  constructing  cold-air 
boxes  to  such  stacks  ?  "  • 

[The  amount  of  cold  fresh  air  that  should  be  ad- 
mitted to  a  stack  of  pipes  or  radiators  depends  on 
the  requirements  of  the  room  to  be  warmed.  Each 
occupant  of  a  room  should  have  at  least  2,000  cubic 
feet  of  fresh  air  every  hour  and  as  much  more  as  it 
is  possible  to  supply  within  the  bounds  of  economy. 

If  four  persons  sleep  or  work  in  a  room  containing 
4,000  cubic  feet  of  space,  a  sanitarian  would  not  be 
likely  to  say  it  was  unhealthy  as  long  as  the  air  was 
changed  once  every  30  minutes.  If  it  was  changed 
every  15  minutes,  however,  he  would  feel  better 
satisfied  and  would  probably  have  no  hesitation  in 
pronouncing  it  ample. 

From  such  reasoning  as  the  above,  and  on  the 
assumption  that  there  is  about  one  person  to  the 
1,000  cubic  feet  of  occupied  space  in  an  ordinary 
private  residence  or  well-arranged  office,  it  has  been 
generally  agreed  that  to  change  all  the  air  of  a  build- 
ing once  in  30  minutes  will  give  fair  ventilation  and 
once  in  15  minutes  good  ventilation. 

It  has  been  found  by  experiment  that  when  the  air 
of  a  room  is  changed  once  in  30  minutes  it  has  to 
enter  the  room  at  a  temperature  about  as  much  above 
70°  Fahr.  as  the  outside  air  is  below  70  degrees,  and 
that  when  the  air  is  changed  every  15  minutes  its 
excess  of  temperature  above  70  degrees  has  only  to 
be  half  as  much  as  in  the  former  case.  The  reason 
is  that  the  heat  lost  by  the  air  through  the  walls  and 
windows  depends  only  on  the  difference  between  the 
inside  and  outside  temperatures,  whereas  the  tem- 
perature of  the  incoming  air  required  to  maintain  the 
room  at  70°  Fahr.  varies  with  the  quantity  ndmitted, 
and  is  of  course  less  the  faster  it  comes  in. 

Assume,  then,  that  you  are  going  to  change  the  air 
every  15  minutes  in  a  room  containing  4,000  cubic 
feet,  or  in  other  words,  to  supply  16,000  cubic  feet 
per  hour,  and  that  it  is  to  be  warmed  from  zero  to 

70°  +  —  =  105°,  the  temperature  at  which  the  air 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


should  enter  the  room,  according  to  the  principle  we 
have  just  stated. 

Then,  as  i  heat  unit,  or  the  amount  of  heat  that 
will  raise  tne  temperature  of  a  pound  of  water  i° 
Fahr.,willdo  the  same  for  50  cubic  feet  of  air  at 
atmosphere  pressure,  and  as  steam  in  condensing 
gives  off  about  1,000  heat  units  per  pound  of  con- 

16,000  c.  f.  X  ir>5° 

densed  water,  you  have  • — =   33,600 

50 

heat  units,  which,  if  divided  by  1,000  =  33.6  pounds 
of  steam  that  must  be  condensed  in  an  hour  to  do 
this  work,  or  in  the  case  of  hot  water,  3,360  pounds 
of  water  must  pass  through  the  coil  in  an  hour  and 
be  cooled  10  degrees,  or  half  the  amount  cooled  20 
degrees  to  do  the  work  of  the  steam. 

One  hundred  square  feet  of  good  indirect  steam 
radiation  should  condense  33.6  pounds  of  water,  and 
about  150  square  feet  of  hot -water  surf  ace  will  do  the 
same  work  in  heating  the  entering  air. 

The  reason  why  the  warm  air  passes  out  through 
the  cold-air  boxes  is  because  there  is  more  pressure 
in  the  room  than  there  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  cold-air 
box.  How  this  can  be  the  case  with  open  fireplaces 
in  the  rooms  we  cannot  understand  without  fuller 
particulars.  The  air  will  always  press  inwards  un- 
less there  is  some  greater  power  resisting  it.  Unless 
you  are  sure  by  building  a  fire  or  otherwise  that 
there  is  a  good  draft  in  your  fireplace  flues,  you  had 
better  make  sure  that  they  are  all  clean,  as  some- 
times obstructions  are  left  in  while  building  or  the 
holes  in  the  coping  stones  are  forgotten. 

The  wind  from  some  quarters  may  make  a  very 
Strong  eddy  at  the  mouth  of  your  cold- air  box  suffi- 
cient to  overcome  for  a  time  at  least  the  draft  of  your 
chimneys.  Your  difficulty  could  probably  be  over- 
come by  having  a  cold-air  opening  on  each  side  of  the 
house  and  taking  care  to  close  the  one  on  the  lee  side. 
A  number  of  light  canvas  flaps  about  4  inches  deep, 
opening  inwards  in  the  cold- air  box,  and  shutting 
against  a  piece  of  coarse  wire  netting,  would  do  this 
automatically  when  necessary. 


As  to  constructing  cold-air  boxes  to  heating  stacks 
conditions  vary  too  much  to  allow  any  one  method 
to  be  pronounced  best  for  all  cases;  the  simple  and 
ordinary  way  is  to  bring  a  wooden  or  sheet-metal 
cold-air  duct  to  the  bottom  of  the  coil  chambers  from 
some  convenient  basement  or  cellar  window  or  from 
a  hole  in  the  wall.] 


A  SIMPLE  DAMPER  REGULATOR. 

A  CONVENIENT  device  for  controlling  a  hot  or  cold 

flue  damper  for  indirect  heating  systems  has  been 

used  by  W.    F.  Porter  &  Co.,    Minneapolis,  Minn. 

The  damper  is  attached  to  the  weighted  chain  C 


which  passes  over  a  sheave  D  which  is  supported  on 
a  cast  bracket  B,  built  into  the  wall  and  projecting 
into  the  flue.  From  sheave  D  the  chain  passes 
through  a  slot  A  in  the  escutcheon  plate  E  and  ter- 
minates in  a  handle  ring  R  by  which  it  is  commanded 
to  set  the  damper  at  any  required  position,  where  it 
is  maintained  by  setting  one  link  vertically  in  the 
narrow  bottom  of  the  slot  A,  which  will  not  allow  the 
next  link  to  enter  crosswise.  The  upper  part  of  the 
hole  is  made  circular  and  large  enough  to  let  the 
chain  through  freely,  but  not  to  admit  the  ring  R. 


UNWISE   HEATING  CONTRACTS. 


THE  following  discussion  upon  contracts  guaran- 
teeing the  heating  of  buildings  to  70°  Fahr.  with  the 
outside  temperature  at  zero,  and  permitting  the  with- 
holding of  final  payment  until  meteorological  condi- 
tions allow  practical  demonstration,  was  contributed 
to  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  by  a  number  of  prom- 


inent heating  engineers.  As  the  arguments  advanced 
are  of  permanent  value  to  architects ,  owners ,  and  he  at- 
ing  contractors,  the  discussion  is  reprinted  in  chrono- 
logical order,  together  with  two  editorial  articles,  one 
introducing  the  subject  and  the  concluding  article  ex- 
pressing the  views  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 


[Prom  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  of  January  20,  1894.] 


HEATING  GUARANTEE   AND  ZERO 
WEATHER. 

THE  letter  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Francis,  printed 
upon  another  page  of  this  issue,  brings  up  a 
question  of  interest  to  all  who  have  to  do  with 
building  engineering.  For  the  provision  of  the 
heating  of  buildings  the  practice  is,  unfortu- 
nately, too  general  among  architects  to  throw 
the  arrangement  of  all  the  details  upon  the 
bidders,  specifying  only  that  the  boilers  and 
radiators  shall  heat  the  building  to  70°  Fahr.  in 
zero  weather.  The  requirement  of  this  guar- 
antee is  not  fair  either  to  the  owner  or  the 
heating  contractor.  The  architect  should  de- 
termine definitely  what  he  wants;  it  should  be 
as  much  his  duty  to  specify  the  square  feet  of 
heating  surface  required  and  the  sizes  of  boiler 
and  piping  as  to  specify  the  thickness  of  the 
walls.  When  the  terms  of  such  specifications 
are  complied  with  the  contract  should.be  con- 
sidered completed,  and  the  contractor  should  be 
entitled  to  receive  his  pay  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  business  the  same  as  in  any  other  branch 
of  building  engineering.  We  have  also  known 
of  cases,  as  instanced  by  Mr.  Francis,  where 
heating  contractors  have  been  forced  to  wait  for 
two  years  for  their  pay  by  a  strict  enforcement 
of  the  obnoxious  clause,  and  do  not  doubt  that 


its  operation  has  been  attended  with  serious 
injustice  and  hardship.  We  should  advise 
heating  engineers  to  refuse  to  accept  contracts 
including  this  provision  and  to  demand  that 
architects  make  their  specifications  explicit. 

In  this  connection  there  is  another  practice 
current  which  is  not  in  the  interest  of  an  owner 
who  desires  first-class  work  nor  that  of  a  con- 
servative contractor  who  aims  to  do  what  is 
right  and  to  make  a  reasonable  profit  in  his 
business.  This  is  the  requiring  of  a  bond  that 
the  plant  will  perform  a  certain  duty  and  at  the 
same  time  the  exaction  of  the  right  to  withhold 
the  final  payment  until  it  has  been  demonstrated 
that  there  is  no  occasion  to  call  upon  the  bonds- 
men. If  a  guarantee  or  a  bond  is  required 
payment  should  be  made  when  the  material  is 
put  in  place,  for  it  is  unjust  to  demand  a  guar- 
antee or  bond  and  withhold  the  payment  too. 
If  a  man  puts  in  the  plant  he  agrees  to  furnish 
he  should  be  paid  for  it;  if  it  fails  to  perform 
the  duties  guaranteed,  the  man,  if  responsible, 
can  be  made  to  make  it  good,  or  the  bond  is  the 
recourse.  Experience,  however,  shows  that  it 
is  better  for  owners  or  building  committees  to 
deal  with  responsible  parties  whose  guarantee  is 
good  than  to  trust  to  being  recouped  by  bonds- 
men in  cases  of  default. 


310 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


THE    REQUIRED   HEATING  OF   BUILDINGS 

TO  " SEVENTY  DEGREES  IN  ZERO 

WEATHER." 

KENSINGTON  ENGINE  WORKS,  LTD.  ) 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA.,  January  15,  1894.      f 
Ttthe  Editor  «/ THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR:  I  write  in  protest  of  the  terms  in  which  the 
guarantee  of  a  steam-heating  system  i^  usually  ex- 
pressed in  the  specifications  of  architects  and  build- 
ers, "  that  the  building  shall  be  heated  to  a  temper- 
ature of  70  degrees  in  zero  weather."  This  has 
become  the  standard  requirement  and  has  led  to  end- 
less trouble  and  misinterpretation,  and  caused  bitter 
experience  to  the  contractor  in  every  case  where  he 
has  met  a  principle  governed  only  by  the  "letter  of 
his  bond."  In  one  case  I  recall,  the  contractors  were 
obliged  to  wait  two  years  after  finishing  the  work, 
for  a  literal  zero  test,  when,  as  the  result  proved,  the 
system  was  ample  in  every  respect  to  maintain  the 
temperature  under  the  guarantee.  It  is  very  unjust 
to  require  the  contractor  to  wait  until  the  outside 
temperature  is  zero  to  test  his  apparatus. 

In  our  own  city  of  Philadelphia  in  the  winter  of 
1892-93  the  temperature  did  fall  to  zero  on  several 
occasions,  but  previous  to  that  there  had  not  been  so 
low  a  temperature  for  n  years.  The  expression, 
"  70  degrees  in  zero  weather,"  should  be  considered, 
as  it  is,  in  justice  to  the  contractor,  a  commercial  one, 
and  be  understood  universally  to  mean  when  the 
system  is  capable  of  warming  a  building  to  70  degrees 
under  wind  pressure,  with  outside  temperature  of  15 
to  20  degrees  above  zero,  it  will  be  capable  of  warm- 
ing it  in  zero  weather,  providing  it  is  doing  it  easily 
under  the  above  conditions.  It  is  not  so  understood 
with  people  not  familiar  with  work  of  this  kind,  and 
hence  the  trouble  arises  as  to  the  terms  of  the  con- 
tract. Why  not  abandon  the  phrase  entirely  and 
substitute  its  just  and  fair  meaning,  "the  system 
shall  be  capable  of  maintaining  a  temperature  of  70 
degrees  in  zero  weather." 

Many  users  ot  steam-heating  systems  expect  to 
reach  a  temperature  of  70  degrees  within  an  hour  of 
steaming,  in  a  very  cold  building,  which  is  simply 
impossible  with  an  ordinary  well-designed  heating 
system,  and  yet  the  system  may- be  fully  equal  to 
attaining  and  maintaining  the  temperature  with  con- 
tinuous warming.  The  guarantee  to  warm  to  "70 
degrees  in  zero  weather,"  as  demonstrated  by  actual 
experience,  is  subject  to  too  arbitrary  interpretation, 
and  all  contractors  for  steam  work  should  uniformly 
decline  to  sign  a  contract  under  such  conditions,  but 
at  the  same  time  no  reputable  party  should  object  to 
guaranteeing  their  system  "  to  be  equal  to  maintain- 
ing the  temperature  of  70  degrees  on  a  basis  of  zero 
weather,"  with  not  over  a  given  steam  pressure. 

W.  H.  FRANCIS. 

[This  question  is  discussed  editorially  in  this  issue,] 


PHILADELPHIA,  January  18,  1894. 

To  the  Editor  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR:  A  rule  by  which  one  could  estimate  what  a 
given  heater  and  radiator  will  do  in  zero  weather, 
knowing  what  they  actually  do  in  20  degrees  above 
zero,  would  be  very  acceptable  to  many  readers,  no 
doubt.  We  bid  on  heaters,  low-pressure  steam,  say 
five  pounds  pressure  on  the  gauge,  or  on  open  sys- 
tem water  radiators  guaranteed  to  heat  to  70  degrees 
in  zero  weather;  we  can  show  80  to  90  degrees  at  10 
degrees  above  zero  outside,  but  cannot  collect  our 
bills  until  zero  weather  allows  a  practical  demonstra- 
tion. J.  G. 

BRANFORD  LOCK  WORKS,  } 

BRANFORD,  CONN.,  January  23,  1894.  f 
To  tki  Editor  4/THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR:  Your  correspondent,  Mr.  W.  H.  Francis,  has, 
in  your  issue  of  January  20,  raised  a  question  of 


great  interest  to  all,  especially  to  the  heating  and 
ventilating  contractor.  The  injustice  of  this  almost 
universal  clause  in  the  contract,  together  with  the 
withholding  of  a  portion  of  the  contract  price  until  a 
test  in  zero  weather  is  made,  which  practice  obtains 
with  nearly  all  architects,  cannot  fail  to  be  appreci- 
ated by  all  engineers. 

Mr.  Francis  further  takes  the  position  that  with 
the  outside  temperature  from  15  to  20  degrees  with 
high  wind  the  conditions  of  heating  are  more  diffi- 
cult than  at  usual  zero  weather;  this  position,  though 
seeming  paradoxical,  can  readily  be  confirmed  by 
engineers  of  experience  in  this  particular  branch, 
and  further,  it  is  well  known  to  meteorologists  that 
zero  weather  is  usually  unaccompanied  by  wind, 
while  at  temperatures  from  10  to  30  degrees  the  most 
violent  winds  usually  occur.  Hence,  if  the  heating 
to  70  degrees  in  zero  weather  is  material,  it  would  be 
perfectly  competent  to  introduce  a  clause  bearing 
upon  what  is,  to  the  writer's  mind,  a  far  more  impor- 
tant factor — viz.,  the  direction  and  velocity  of  the 
wind. 

A  year  or  two  ago  (1892)  the  writer  undertook  a 
proximate  theoretical  solution  of  the  problem.  An 
apparatus  is  guaranteed  to  heat  a  building  to  70  de- 
grees in  zero  weather;  to  what  temperature  will  it 
heat  the  building  at  30  degrees,  40  degrees,  50  de- 
grees, and  60  degrees  outside  temperature  in  calm 
weather?  The  proximate  solution,  which  may  be  of 
interest  to  your  readers,  was  effected  as  follows: 

Preliminarily,  the  loss  of  heat  between  bodies  of 
small  differences  of  .  temperature,  say  about  100° 
Fahr.,  is  about  proportional  to  the  difference  in  tem- 
perature, hence  the  loss  of  temperature  between  the 
building  and  the  external  air  may,  without  sensible 
error,  be  said  to  be  directly  proportional  to  the  differ 
ence.  The  loss  of  heat  from  the  radiating  surface  to 
the  air  and  walls  of  the  room,  where  the  difference 
in  temperature  is  much  larger,  follows  a  complicated 
law  for  which  Dulonghas  developed  an  approximate 
formula.  Again,  if  we  heat  a  room  to  70  degrees  in 
zero  weather  _  and  apply  the  same  apparatus  under 
similar  conditions,  varying  the  external  temperature 
only,  we  find  we  have  a  variation  of  a  number  of  the 
factors  resultant  upon  the  change  of  the  external 
temperature.  For  example,  suppose  an  apparatus, 
having  a  given  number  of  square  feet,  heats  a  room 
or  building  to  70  degrees  in  zero  weather  with  a  given 
pressure  of  steam.  Suppose  the  external  temperature 
is  raised  to  30  degrees,  the  loss  of  heat  by  the  walls 
and  windows  by  radiation,  conduction,  and  contact 
with  air,  and  by  ventilation,  is  lessened,  the  temper- 
ature of  the  room  rises  above  70  degrees,  the  differ- 
ence in  temperature  between  the  air  and  walls  of  the 
room  becomes  less,  and  the  radiator  thus  furnishes 
less  heat.  Hence,  the  rise  in  the  temperature  of  the 
room  will  not  vary  directly  with  the  increase  in  ex- 
ternal temperature,  because: 

1.  The  law  of  transmission  of  heat  from  the  radi- 
ators to  the  air  and  walls  of  the  room  is  not  directly 
proportional  to  the  temperature,  and 

2.  The  radiating  surface  in  the  room  becomes  less 
efficient  as  the  temperature  (external)  rises. 

The  approximate  solution  of  this  question  becomes 
therefore: 

I.  A  determination  of  the  loss  of  heat  by  the  build- 
ing at  the  various  external  temperatures. 

II.  A  determination  of  the  ratio  of  rise  in  tempera- 
ture, heating  surface  and  pressure  constant,  assum- 
ing the  loss  of  heat  to  be  that  determined  by  I. 

III.  A  determination  of  the  rate  of  the  loss  of 
heat,  heating  surface  and  pressure  constant,  the  loss 
of  heat  being  occasioned  by  the  temperature,  deter- 
mined by  II. 

IV.  The  final  determination  of  the  resultant  tem- 
perature from  the  results  of  III. 

I.  A  Determination  of  the  Loss  of  Heat  by  the 
Building  at  Various  External  Temperatures. 

The  loss  by  radiation,  conduction,  and  contact  with 
air,  is  determined  best  by  a  formula  given  by  Box. 


STEAM  AND  HOT- WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


311 


(A  practical  Treatise  on  Heat,  by  Thomas  Box,  edi- 
tion 1883,  p.  216.) 

u=        (A  X  Cx  Q)(T—  7") 

C  (2  A  +  R)  +  (E  X  A  X  Q 
Where 

U  —  units  of  heat  lost  per  hour  per  square  foot  of 
outside  surface  of  building. 

A  =  loss  by  contact  of  air. 

R  =  radiant  power  of  the  material  of  building. 

Q  =  R  +  A. 

C  =  conducting  power  of  material  of  building. 

T=  internal  temperature,  70  degrees. 

T"=  external  temperature,  and 

E  =  thickness  of  the  wall  (inches). 

From  the  appearance  of  the  formula  it  is  readily 
seen  that  the  loss  of  heat  incurred  by  the  three  fac- 
tiors  just  mentioned  is-  directly  proportioned  to  the 
'difference  in  temperature.  Similarly,  within  the 
limits  spoken  of  above,  the  ventilation,  if  natural, 
may  be  taken  without  sensible  error,  to  vary  in  the 


jjUs  Ratio  of  loss  of  heat. 

/ 

/ 

/ 

E 

/ 

8 

C 

/ 

B 

/ 

/ 

A 

J) 

F 

ff 

9-\60      50    40     30     20     10      V 
7»r.j                „.                      . 

.Diagram  1. 

same  way.  Hence,  if  we  take  a  square,  Diagram  i, 
and  draw  its  diagonal,  the  abscissas,  or  horizontal 
lines,  may  be  made  to  represent  the  external  tem- 
peratures; the  ordinates,  or  the  vertical  lines,  the 
ratios  of  heat  losses.  (It  should  be  understood  here 
that  we  may,  under  the  conditions  assumed  and 
when  dealing  with  the  same  building,  use  ratios  of 
the  quantities  of  heat  the  same  as  the  actual  thermal 
units  themselves.) 

II.  A  Determination  of  the  Ratio  of  Rise  in 
Temperature,  Heating  Surface  and  Pressure  Con- 
stant, the  Loss  of  Heat  being  Occasioned  by  the 
Temperature  as  Determined  from  I. 

The  first  step  under  this  heading  is  to  determine 
the  ratio  of  heat  required  per  unit  of  radiating  sur- 
face, steam  pressure  constant,  the  external  tempera- 
ture varying  from  zero  to  200  degrees.  This  is 
accomplished  by  the  formulas  for  ratios  for  the  loss 
of  heat  at  high  temperatures  as  modified  by  Box 
(pp.  226  and  228),  first  for  radiation,  and  secondly  for 
contact  with  air. 

These  formulas  are  as  follows: 

For  radiation 

124.72  X  1.0077'  X  (Loo??7*—  i) 

**=*-  —f~ 

Where 

T  =  the  difference  in   temperature  between  the 

steam  and  the  temperature  of  the  room 

(Cent.). 

/    =  the  temperature  of  the  room  (Cent.),  and 
R"  =  the  factor  by  which  the  radiation  at  ordinary 

temperature  is  to  be  multiplied  to  allow 

for  the  large  difference  in  temperature. 
For  loss  of  heat  by  contact  with  air 

gg2X/1.888 

R     =  -         f 


90 

1UO 
110 


140 

150 
IbO 


/# 


D 


H 


Fa%r\70      60     )0      40      3°       20      10       ° 

Diagram  2. 

Where 

R'"  =  the  factor  by  which  the  loss  of  heat  by  con- 
tact with  air  at  ordinary  temperature  is  to 
be  multiplied  to  allow  for  the  large  differ- 
ence in  temperatures,  and 

/  =  the  difference  in  temperature  between  the 
steam  and  the  air  and  walls  of  the  room. 

Solving  this  formula  for  12  different  cases  between 
the  above  limits  and  plotting  the  results,  using  the 
same  scale  and  nomenclature  as  in  Diagram  i ,  we 
obtain  Diagram  2.  The  results  of  the  formula  give 
ratios  of  thermal  units  corresponding  to  certain  dif- 
ferences in  temperature,  changed  to  Fahr.,  given  on 
the  left;  the  figures  given  at  the  bottom  represent 
external  temperatures.  Now,  to  find  the  temperature 
to  which  the  building  would  be  raised,  heating  sur- 
face and  pressure  constant,  the  loss  of  heat  being  as- 
sumed as  due  not  to  the  internal  but  as  from  a  con- 
stant temperature  (70  degrees)  to  a  varying  external; 
for  example,  say  60  degrees,  measure  the  height  of 
the  ordinate,  or  vertical  line  between  the  points  A  and 
B  on  Diagram  i,  and  on  the  similar  vertical  line 
starting  from  60  degrees  on  Diagram  2,  Jay  off  the 
same  distance  A  B  and  note  from  the  left  the  abscissa, 
or  horizontal  with  which  the  point  B  corresponds. 
This  for  the  case  of  60  degrees,  external  temperature, 
we  find  to  be  about  194  degrees,  similarly  for  50  de- 
grees we  find  158,  for  40,  122,  and  for  30,  86.  These 
results  indicate  the  internal  corresponding  to  the 
various  external  temperatures,  assuming  the  loss  of 
heat  by  the  building  was  that  due  to  an  internal  tem- 
perature of  70  degrees.  But  as  the  loss  of  heat  by 
the  building  increases  as  the  rise  of  internal  tempera- 
ture, if  we  obtain  the  mean  temperature  between  the 
above  figure  and  70  degrees  we  get  a  figure  which 
will  approximately  represent  the  temperature  at 
which  the  building  would  be  losing  heat  under  such 
conditions.  Hence,  for  30  external  we  lose,  under 
assumed  conditions,  as  though  the  internal  tempera- 
ture was  78  degrees: 


40  degrees. 
50       " 
60        " 


96  degrees. 
114        " 
178        " 


III.  A  Determination  of  the  Ratio  of  the  Loss  of 
Heat,  Heating'  Surface  and  Pressure  Constant, 
the  Loss  of  Heat  being  Occasioned  by  the  Tempera- 
tures Determined  by\\. 

If  the  internal  temperature  was  as  high  as  that 
given  above,  the  efficiency  of  the  radiating  surface 
would  be  considerably  reduced,  and  applying  the 
formula  under  II.  the  reduction  would  be  found  to  be 
as  in  the  ratio  of  the  following  numbers: 


o  degrees. 

3°         " 

40 

50      " 
60      " 


312 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


IV.  The  Final  Determination  of  the  Resultant 
Temperature Jrom  the  Results  of  III. 

Finally  expressing  the  results  of  III.  in  a  propor- 
tion, and  remembering  that  the  apparatus  has  heated 
the  building  to  70  degrees  in  zero  weather,  we  have 


307  : 195  : 
307  :  226  : 
307*:  261  : 
307  :  292  : 


70 hence  x  =  no  degrees 

70 hence  x  =    95 

70 hence  x  =    82 

70 hence  x  —    74       " 


or,  a  heating  apparatus  sufficient  to  heat  a  given 
building  to  70  degrees  in  zero  weather  with  a  given 
pressure  of  steam  will  be  found  to  heat  the  same 
building,  steam  pressure  constant,  to  no  degrees  at 
60,  95  at  50,  82  at  40,  and  74  at  32. 

EDWARD  E.  MAGOVERN. 


DETROIT,  MICH.,  Februarys,  1894. 
To  the  Editor  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR  :  We  have  before  us  the  issues  of  THE  ENGI- 
NEERING RECORD  for  January  20  and  February  3, 
and  are  much  interested  in  the  discussion  of  the 
question  raised  in  regard  to  the  requirement  that 
buildings  must  be  heated  to  a  temperature  of  70  de- 
grees in  zero  weather.  We  hope  that  the  agitation 
of  this  question  may  continue  until  some  definite 
results  are  secured.  We  have  had  large  amounts 
tied  up  and  carried  over  from  year  to  year  simply  for 
the  lack  of  some  means  of  forcing  settlement  without 
waiting  for  zero  weather.  We  recall  an  instance 
three  years  ago  where  we  had  over  $7,000  tied  up, 
and  our  experience  in  this  case  may  be  of  interest. 

It  was  a  mild  winter  and  there  was  no  prospect  of 
Zero  weather.  We  had  guaranteed  to  heat  the  building 
to  60  degrees  with  zero  outside.  We  finally  ins'sted 
upon  making  a  test,  but  the  temperature  was  about 
20  degrees  above.  We  were  dealing  with  a  me- 
chanical engineer  of  high  standing,  and  he  insisted 
on  our  raising  the  temperature  from  20  degrees  to  80 
degrees.  We  argued  that  that  was  not  fair,  and  that 
it  was  much  easier  to  raise  the  temperature  from  zero 
to  60  degrees  than  from  20  degrees  to  80  degrees. 
Our  representative  stated  at  the  time  that  he  had 
good  authority  to  prove  this.  He  tried  to  find  the 
table  he  had  in  mind  in  Haswell's,  but  for  some  reason 
could  not  locate  it.  It  was  finally  agreed  that  if 
upon  returning  home  our  representative  could  furnish 
such  evidence  the  engineer's  clients  would  accept  the 
plant  and  settle  for  it.  Returning  to  Detroit  the 
table  was  found,  which  is  on  page  526  of  Haswell's 
1893  edition.  We  expressed  a  copy  of  this  to  them, 
and  as  soon  as  it  had  time  to  reach  its  destination 
we  received  a  dispatch  stating  that  a  New  York 
draft  had  been  mailed  us.  The  account  was  in  that 
way  settled  and  everybody  apparently  satisfied.  In 
our  opinion  neither  that  table  nor  the  formula  given 
by  Mr.  Magovern  is  fully  satisfactory.  We  believe 
that  a  rule  which  could  be  given  a  more  general 
application  could  be  formulated,  and  would  suggest 
that  Mr.  Baldwin  or  some  one  of  his  prominence  as 
a  heating  and  ventilating  engineer  should  take  this 
up  and  work  out  a  rule  that  would  be  acceptable  to 
all  heating  contractors. 

We  would  then  suggest  that  in  drawing  contracts 
it  be  stated  in  some  such  way  as  this:  "  Guaranteed 
to  maintain  a  temperature  of  70  degrees  with  outside 

temperature  zero,  or  other  temperatures,  as  per 

rule."  Then  it  might  be  explained  parenthetically, 
or  in  a  foot-note  of  each  contract,  what  was  the 
nature  of  this  rule  and  the  reason  of  its  insertion. 

We  further  suggest  that  this  rule,  if  satisfactorily 
formulated,  be  adopted  by  the  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers,  the  organization  of  steamfitters,  and  it 
might  be  advisable  for  the  manufacturers  of  steam- 
fitting  appliances  to  form  an  organization  and  the 
association  act  upon  this.  We  do  not  know  that  the 
latter  class  have  "ever  formed  any  association,  but  we 
can  see  that  much  might  be  accomplished  by  such  an 
organization. 


Referring  again  to  the  paper  of  Mr.  Magovern  in 
your  issue  of  the  3d  inst.,  we  wish  to  say  that  we 
think  it  a  most  excellent  paper,  and  one  well  worth 
the  careful  consideration  of  your  readers. 

In  the  foregoing  we  have  considered  the  subject 
from  a  business  rather  than  a  technical  standpoint; 
but  in  any  event  we  hope  our  suggestions  may  have 
some  consideration,  or  that  the  results  aimed  at  may- 
be secured  in  some  other  way. 

HUYETT  &  SMITH  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 
By  JAMES  INGLIS,  Secretary-Treasurer. 


MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN.,  February  19,  1894. 
Te  the  Editor  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR:  I  have  noted  with  interest  the  discussion  in 
your  columns  of  the  question  of  the  requirement  in 
heating  contracts  that  buildings  shall  be  heated  to 
70°  Fahr.  in  zero  weather  as  precedent  to  final  pay- 
ment. The  similar  clause  in  our  contracts  reads  70 
degrees  with  outside  temperature  40  degrees  below 
zero.  The  experience  of  our  firm  (the  Porter  Radiator 
and  Iron  Company)  has  been  varied,  both  sad  and 
pleasant.  In  our  form  of  contract  it  is  distinctly 
stated  that  lack  of  cold  weather  shall  not  be  made 
an  excuse  for  delay  of  payments.  The  full  text  of 
the  acceptance  clause  and  also  our  guarantee  to 
which  it  refers  are  as  follows: 

ACCEPTANCE. 

The  apparatus,  in  so  far  as  the  mechanical  work  thereof 
and  construction  of  the  same  are  concerned,  shall  be  con- 
sidered as  accepted  immediately  upon  completion.  If  it  be 
found  that  the  same  does  not  comply  with  said  specifications, 
notice  thereof  specifying  the  defects  shall  be  given  in  writing 
immediately  to  the  heating  contractor. 

It  is  distinctly  understood  that  no  payments  or  part  thereof 
are  to  be  delayed  on  account  of  lack  of  cold  weather  in  which 
to  test  the  heating  apparatus,  as  the  guarantee  herein  con- 
tained is  binding  upon  the  contractor  as  to  fulfillment  of 
contract.  It  is  further  understood  that  such  acceptance 
shall  not  be  deemed  a  waiver  of  our  guarantee  as  to  efficiency 
of  the  heating  apparatus. 

GUARANTEE. 

When  the  apparatus  is  completed  in  accordance  with  the 
conditions  hereof,  we  guarantee  that  when  properly  operated 
it  will  be  capable  of  continuously  warming  all  apartments 
of  said  building  enumerated  in  Exhibit  i  to  the  "inside 
temperature"  therein  mentioned  when  the  outside  tempera- 
ture is  that  specified  in  said  Exhibit  i. 

Farther,  the  building  and  apparatus  being  kept  in  repair, 
and  the  apparatus  properly  operated,  there  shall  be  no  snap- 
ping, cracking,  or  pounding  whatsoever  in  any  of  the  pipes 
and  radiators,  nor  shall  there  bs  appreciable  loss  of  steam  or 
hot  water  from  any  part  of  said  apparatus. 

All  material  furnished  by  us  shall  be  first-class  in  every 
particular,  and  shall  be  erected  by  competent  workmen. 
There  shall  be  no  leaks,  flaws,  or  other  imperfections,  and 
when  completed  the  j  ib  shall  present  a  finished  appearance 

Our  estimate  for  the  capacity  of  the  apparatus  required 
tor  heating  the  building  is  based  upon  information  furnished 
us  by  owner  of  building  or  his  representative.  In  case  of 
any  change  in  the  same,  such  change  shall  release  us  from 
the  guarantee  as  to  specified  capacity  of  the  heating  appara- 
tus, so  far  as  such  change  shall  affect  it. 

The  chimney,  to  be  furnished  by  the  owner  of  the  build- 
Ing,  must  be  large  enough  and  capable  of  passing  sufficient 
air  for  the  rapid  consumption,  of  fuel. 

All  necessary  excavating  for  the  setting  of  the  boiler  and 
running  of  mains  is  to  be  done  by  the  owner  of  the  building. 
Proper  opening  for  admission  of  boiler,  water  supply  and 
connection,  and  fuel  for  testing,  are  also  to  be  furnished  by 
him. 

This  guarantee  to  be  good  only  for  the  time  from  the  date 
ot  completion,  as  specified  in  Exhibit  i. 

The  temperatures  referred  to  in  the  guarantee  are 
to  be  filled  in  on  blanks  in  Exhibit  i,  which  is  a  kind 
of  general  summary  and  acceptable  of  the  contract, 
and  is  signed  by  contractor  and  owner. 

For  heating  contracts  we  use  a  set  of  forms,  num- 
bered as  Exhibits  i  to  14  inclusive,  in  which  the  items 
are  enumerated  and  described  in  detail.  The  first 
sheet,  as  previously  stated,  embodies  the  essence  of 
the  contract,  and  by  reference  to  the  other  sheets  for 
details  we  are  enabled  to  get  out  proposals  covering 
almost  any  kind  of  a  steam  or  hot-water  heating  job. 
The  exhibits  forming  a  part  of  the  specifications  are 
enumerated  upon  the  first  sheet,  and  the  letter-press 


STEAM  AND  HOT  WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


313 


copies  required  are  therefore  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
I  think  an  error  is  made  in  making  specifications  in 
full  detail.  Our  sheets  in  the  main  describe  the 
systems  in  a  general  way,  but  do  not  give  the  sizes 
of  mains  or  risers.  Our  experience  seems  to  indicate 
that  this  is  the  better  course,  unless  one  is  warranted 
in  making  special  complete  detailed  drawings.  In 
that  event  it  is  not  desirable  to  let  the  plans  go  out 
of  your  hands,  for  they  may  be  unfairly  criticised  by 
competitors,  or  the  owner  may  be  influenced  by  criti- 
cism, of  the  value  or  disinterestedness  of  which  he  is 
unable  to  judge.  Our  experience  has  led  to  the 
belief  that  architects'  heating  specifications  have 
done  more  harm  than  good,  and  that  they  are  not 
desirable  unless  drawn  up  by  some  person  who  is 
familiar  with  all  the  technical  points,  and  who  is  also 
allowed  to  direct  the  work  of  erection  from  day  to 
day.  In  such  cases  the  heating  contractor  should 
only  be  required  to  furnish  labor  and  material,  and 
he  should  be  entitled  to  his  pay  when  the  material  is 
properly  erected,  or  after  a  circulation  test.  We 
have  done  several  jobs  of  this  character,  but  always 
for  a  much  higher  price  than  we  would  have  required 
to  accomplish  the  same  results  under  different  con- 
ditions. 

I  believe  it  would  be  for  the  general  benefit  of  all 
heating  contractors  if  an  agreement  could  be  reached 
upon  a  general  form  of  contract  which  should  specify 
on  one  sheet  the  temperature,  rooms,  size  of  boiler, 
amount  of  radiation,  chimneys,  kind  of  valve,  method 
of  payment,  and  duration  of  guarantee,  together 
with  a  short  statement  regarding  the  system  and  the 
manner  in  which  work  was  to  be  done.  This  would 
cover  all  that  the  owner  needs  or  cares  to  know,  and 
with  such  a  proposal  the  owner  should  look  to  the 
intelligence,  capital,  skill,  experience,  and  business 
ability  of  the  contractor  for  his  assurance  that  he  will 
get  honest  work  and  an  effective  plant,  precisely  as 
he  depends  upon  those  same  qualities  in  a  carriage- 
builder  when  he  goes  to  buy  a  vehicle.  Our  experi- 
ence has  been  that  the  more  in  detail  heating  plans 
have  been  the  more  they  have  harmed  the  owner. 
Where  a  contractor  has  a  reputation  to  sustain  and 
intends  to  put  in  good  work,  he  must  either  follow 
the  specifications  blindly  and  neglect  to  avail  himself 
of  points  which  may  suggest  themselves  to  him  in  the 
work,  or  in  varying  from  them  he  will  find  it  well- 
nigh  impossible  to  convince  the  owner  that  the 
changes  were  not  made  for  the  contractor's  benefit. 

The  owner  of  a  building  is  a  copartner  with  the 
heating  contractor  to  the  extent  that  he  is  to  fur- 
nish the  variable  quantity  in  the  problem,  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  walls  and  windows  and  chimney. 
It  is  impossible  to  tell  from  their  appearance  how 
much  heat  they  will  transmit,  and  it  is  a  ques- 
tion if  the  heating  contractor  should  undertake  to 
do  more  than  furnish  a  given  amount  of  radiation 
and  to  guarantee  the  circulation  and  workmanship. 
In  such  instances  if  it  should  be  found  that  the  build- 
ing transmitted  more  heat  than  was  estimated,  the 
additional  radiation  should  be.  provided  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  owner,  as  it  was  the  building  and  not 
the  radiation  which  was  at  fault.  It  is  difficult  to 
see  why  a  heating  contractor  should  be  required  to 
guarantee  the  temperature  to  which  he  will  warm  a 
building  if  he  h'is  specified  and  furnished  a  given 
amount  of  radiation  and  a  boiler  of  agreed  dimen- 
sions, for  it  is  well  known  that  the  heat  given  off  by 
radiators  is,  under  ordinary  conditions,  practically  a 
constant  and  outside  the  control  of  the  contractor, 
and  also  that  the  efficiency  of  the  boiler  depends  en- 
tirely upon  the  draft  and  the  manner  of  firing.  The 
province  of  the  contractor  is  then  to  guarantee  the 
workmanship  and  the  circulation  and  not  the  variable 
features,  the  house  and  chimney,  which  the  owner 
furnishes;  and  the  sooner  this  is  appreciated,  the 
better  for  all  concerned. 

We  have  found  a  letter  of  advice  as  a  contract  out- 
lining the  work  about  as  satisfactory  a  manner  of 
arranging  for  steam  and  hot-water  heating  work  as 


any  other,  and  we  prefer  that  the  owner  should  look 
to  the  reputation  of  the  contractor  rather  than  to  the 
letter  of  the  specifications  for  his  protection.  You 
have  to  satisfy  your  customer  in  any  event  if  you  are 
to  collect  your  pay,  and  if  you  do  that  you  seldom 
have  occasion  to  refer  to  the  details  of  the  specifica- 
tions.  Most  of  the  points  raised  upon  specifications 
have  been  made  by  persons  who  did  not  intend  to  pay 
if  they  could  avoid  doing  so,  and  the  very  points 
which  might  be  really  in  the  contractor's  favor  would, 
if  brought  into  court,  have  been  used  to  his  disadvan- 
tage in  causing  delay  in  settlement  of  the  claim.  I 
believe  material  and  labor  should  be  paid  for  as  de- 
livered and  placed  in  position,  and  when  the  work  is 
tested  for  tightness  the  whole  amount  should  be  due. 
The  guarantee  is  something  given,  and  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  contractor  should  be  sufficient  to  assure 
the  owner  that  it  will  be  lived  up  to  if  a  defect  should 
occur  during  the  time  specified  therein. 

GEORGE  C.  ANDREWS. 


NEW  YORK,  March  28,  1894. 
Te  the  Editor  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR:  I  have  been  somewhat  interested  in  the  corre- 
spondence published  in  recent  issues  of  your  journal 
regarding  the  term  used  in  heating  contracts,  "That 
the  building  shall  be  heated  to  70°  Fahr.  in  zero 
weather,"  and  the  practice  of  architects  and  owners 
in  withholding  the  final  payment  (sometimes  a  third 
of  the  entire  amount  of  the  contract)  from  the  heat- 
ing contractor  until  such  time  as  they  have  hai  zero 
weather  in  which  to  test  the  apparatus,  which,  as 
your  readers  are  aware,  we  sometimes  do  not  get 
during  an  entire  winter.  I  have  always  considered 
this  more  of  a  hardship  on  the  heating  contractor 
than  it  would  be  for  an  owner  to  retain  a  portion  of 
the  architect's  fees  for  a  number  of  years,  or  until  he 
had  fully  satisfied  himself  that  the  building  as  de- 
signed would  fully  answer  the  requirements  and  prove 
suitable  in  all  weathers. 

In  many  cases  a  heating  contractor  has  very  little 
to  say  as  to  the  make  or  general  arrangement  of  a 
heating  apparatus.  The  make,  size,  and  location  of 
heater  or  boiler  are  specified.  The  make,  location, 
and  sometimes  the  size  of  the  radiating  surface  are 
specified,  and  while  the  heating  contractor  has  the 
privilege  of  increasing  the  surface,  if  in  his  judgment 
he  considers  it  necessary,  in  many  cases  the  building 
is  not  erected  and  the  heating  contractor  has  no  way 
of  knowing  whether  it  will  be  well  or  poorly  built, 
and  consequently  can  only  judge  from  the  exposure 
shown  and  his  general  experience  as  to  whether  the 
radiating  surface  and  heater 'power  will  be  ample  or 
not. 

The  labor  which  the  heating  contractor  employs  ia 
installing  the  apparatus  has  to  be  paid  for  in  cash, 
the  materials  used  have  to  be  paid  for  in  from  30  to 
60  days  from  th  j  time  of  delivery,  and  as  the  mate- 
rials and  labor  on  the  average  heating  contract  usu- 
ally amounts  to  over  80  per  cent,  of  the  contract,  un- 
less some  specified  time  for  making  the  final  payment 
is  mentioned  in  the  contract,  the  contractor  in  addi- 
tion to  being  a  mechanic  has  to  be  somewhat  of  a 
banker  or  else  has  to  purchase  goods  in  the  hope  of 
getting  zero  weather  in  which  to  test  them  before  the 
time  of  payment  arrives,  and  in  the  event  of  con- 
tinued mild  weather  and  consequent  non-payment 
has  to  disappoint  his  supply  man  or  the  manufac- 
turers. 

I  think  a  good  deal  of  the  trouble  is  brought  on  by 
an  over-anxiety  on  the  part  of  some  heating  con- 
tractors to  secure  work  and  a  consequent  willingness 
on  their  part  to  agree  to  almost  any  clause  which 
may  be  submitted  to  them,  with  the  hope  that  it  will 
not  be  enforced,  or  that,  if  enforced,  they  will  get 
zero  weather  in  which  to  test  the  apparatus  before 
the  time  for  the  final  payment  arrives.  I  have  also 
found  that  another  reason  why  the  term  has  been 


814 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


allowed  to  exist  and  grow  in  use  has  been  that  manu- 
facturers of  new  constructions  of  boiler  heaters  and 
other  heating  appliances,  who  could  not  show 
similar  buildings  heated  with  their  apparatus,  have 
been  willing,  so  as  to  get  their  goods  started,  to 
allow  an  owner  to  use  their  appliances  for  an  entire 
winter  without  payment,  so  a,s  to  give  him  ample 
time  to  demonstrate  that  the  claims  made  for  them 
were  fully  carried  out  in  their  operation  during  cold 
weather.  My  opinion  is  that  for  the  above-mentioned 
reasons  more  than  from  any  other  cause  steam  and 
toot-water  heating  apparatus,  although  largely  and 
successfully  used  for  the  past  25  to  50  years  for  heat- 
ing all  classes  of  buildings,  have  been  looked  upon 
by  many  as  an  experiment  and  treated  as  such,  in 
requiring  a  contractor  to  demonstrate  that  each  ap- 
paratus shall  successfully  heat  the  building  in  zero 
weather  before  final  payment  is  made,  while  new 
materials  in  all  other  lines  in  connection  with  the 
building  trades  are  being  considered,  used,  and 
treated  as  commercial  articles  and  paid  for  when 
placed  or  within  a  reasonable  time  after  being  placed, 
In  my  opinion  the  term  should  be  done  away  with 
or  modified  so  as  to  name  a  date  in  the  contract  when 
final  payment  shall  be  made,  provided  the  apparatus 
has  proved  ample  for  the  requirements  up  to  that 
time.  Architects  or  owners  should  decide  what  is 
wanted  in  the  way  of  'a  heating  apparatus,  the  plans 
and  specifications  should  be  clearly  drawn  either  by 
the  architect  or  a  competent  heating  engineer.  Only 
responsible  and  reliable  persons  should  be  allowed 
to  estimate  on  the  work,  and  when  completed, 
whether  in  the  summer  or  winter,  it  should  be  con- 
sidered as  a  commercial  article,  and  there  should  be 
a  specified  time  for  making  the  final  payment,  which 
should  be  within  a  reasonable  time  after  the  comple- 
tion of  the  work,  and  should  not  be  delayed  longer 
than  from  30  to  60  days  after  that  time. 

Some  years  ago,  before  the  hot-water  heating 
system  was  as  largely  used  as  it  is  at  the  present 
time,  I  ma  le  plans  and  specifications  for  the  heating 
of  a  large  building  by  that  system.  It  was  looked 
upon  somewhat  as  an  experiment,  although  larger 
buildings  had  been  successfully  heated  in  the  same 
way  for  years;  the  question  came  up  of  leaving  the 
final  payment  until  the  apparatus  had  heated  the 
building  in  zero  weather.  It  was  finally  decided  that 
the  apparatus  should  be  paid  for  in  full  by  February 
i  (the  work  having  been  completed  November  i),' 
provided  the  apparatus  proved  efficient  up  to  that 
time.  It  was  paid  for  and  has  proved  satisfactory  in 
all  weathers  since  that  time. 

At  another  time  I  designed  a  heating  apparatus  for 
a  school  building  which  had  formerly  been  heated 
by  a  hot-air  system,  and  in  arranging  the  details  the 
commissioners  wanted  to  hold  one-half  the  amount 
of  the  contract  until  the  building  had  been  satis- 
factorily heated  and  ventilated  in  zero  weather.  I 
explained  the  unreasonableness  of  such  an  arrange- 
ment unless  they  could  guarantee  to  furnish  the  con- 
tractor with  zero  weather  within  a  reasonable  time, 
when  they  explained  that  they  had  held  back  $1,000 
from  the  former  contractor  for  three  years,  and  gave 
that  as  an  excuse  for  doing  the  same  in  this  case.  It 
was  finally  arranged  that  the  final  payment  should 
be  made  at  a  stated  time;  the  apparatus  was  paid  for 
and  has  proved  satisfactory  ever  since. 

I  could  cite  hundreds  of  similar  cases  to  prove  that 
architects  and  owners  have  not  suffered  by  accepting 
the  guarantee  of  a  responsible  heating  contractor, 
and  by  making  payment  for  an  apparatus  in  which 
they  had  already  received  the  equivalent  in  labor  and 
material  for  the  amount  paid. 

My  opinion  is  that  it  is  just  as  necessary  to  men- 
tion the  time  of  payment  as  it  is  to  mention  the 
amount  in  any  heating  contract,  and  while  it  might 
be  possible  to  formulate  a  rule,  such  as  Mr.  Magoveru 
has  mentioned,  so  as  to  determine  in  moderate 
weather  what  an  apparatus  would  do  in  zero  weather, 
my  experience  has  been  (particularly  in  hot-water 


heating)  that  you  do  not  get  a  proportionate  result  in 
moderate  weather  of  what  you  do  in  extreme  weather, 
on  account  of  a  poorer  draft  and  consequent  lower 
efficiency  of  boiler  surface.  This  of  course  would  not 
apply  to  a  steam  heater  after  steam  was  generated, 
and  while  in  steam  heating  such  a  rule  could  be 
made  to  apply  to  steam  at  a  certain  pressure,  say  two 
pounds,  in  a  hot-water  heating  apparatus  the  tem- 
perature at  which  the  water  should  have  to  be  carried 
would  have  to  be  determined — viz.,  whether  it  would 
have  to  be  at  150  degrees,  180  degrees,  or  higher. 
Then,  from  the  present  tendency,  some  would  want 
to  experiment  with  such  a  rule  in  zero  weather  before 
they  would  decide  to  adopt  and  be  governed  by  it,  so 
that  I  think  that  the  proper  and  business  way  out  of 
it  would  be  to  have  the  plans  and  specifications 
properly  drawn  to  suit  the  requirements,  and  to  insist 
on  the  time  of  payment  being  specified  in  all  heating 
contracts.  I  also  advise  putting  the  terms  of  payment 
in  the  estimate  somewhat  after  the  following  order: 

We  hereby  offer  and  aeree  to  erect  a  low-pressure,  steam- 
heating  apparatus  in  your  building  located  at  , 
according  to  plans  and  specifications  prepared  by 

Apparatus  guaranteed  to  be  noiseless  in  operation,  and  of 
ample  capacity  to  thoroughly  heat  the  building  to  the 
specified  temperature  in  the  coldest  weather,  and  to  be  com- 
pleted in  a  good  and  workmanlike  manner  for  the  surii  of 
$  ,  in  payments  t  >  be  arranged  as  follows: 

$  when  heater  and  mains  are  placed  in  the  building. 

$  when  radiator-i  are  placed  and  connected. 

Balance  within          days  after  completion  of  the  work. 

Another  objectionable  term  that  I  find  is  taken  ad- 
vantage of  at  times  in  heating  contracts  are  the 
words  "  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  architect  or  owner." 

If  an  architect  or  owner  decides  not  to  be  satisfied 
with  a  heating  apparatus  he  can  keep  a  contractor 
out  of  his  payments  for  a  considerable  time,  even  if 
the  apparatus  is  placed  exactly  in  accordance  with 
the  plans  and  specifications  on  which  the  contract  is 
based.  The  use  of  the  term  does  not  increase  the 
possibility  ot  the  contract  being  carried  out,  while  it 
often  makes  a  delay  in  the  payments.  It  does  not 
insure  the  placing  of  the  apparatus  in  any  better 
shape  than  if  it  was  erected  under  the  supervision  of 
the  architect  and  according  to  certain  plans  and 
specifications. 

I  have  always  looked  upon  this  "satisfactory 
clause "  as  a  meaningless  term,  in  which  there  was 
no  equity  on  which  to  base  a  contract,  and  in  my 
opinion  it  should  be  dropped.  W.  M.  MACKAY. 


OFFICE  OF  EUREKA 
HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  COMPANY, 

SAGINAW,  MICK.,  April  20,  1894. ' 

To  the  Editor  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD, 

SIR:  I  have  read  with  interest  the  letter  of  Mr.  W. 
H.  Francis  on  the  requirement  of  70  degrees  in  zero 
weather,  and  I  think  the  matter  should  receive  the 
due  consideration  of  those  in  a  position  to  hammer 
out  a  correction  of  the  abuses. 

I  had  made  up  several  years  ago  a  blank  form  of 
specification  and  contract,  more  especially  for  resi- 
dence and  smaller  work.  For  our  larger  jobs,  public 
buildings,  etc.,  conditions  vary  so  that  we  invariably 
make  a  separate  specification  to  meet  their  special 
wants.  The  form  in  general  use  I  find  answers  every 
requirement  very  fully  for  the  purpose  it  was  de- 
signed, special  cases  of  course  making  it  desirable  to 
alter.  On  work  this  form  of  specification  and  con- 
tract is  not  best  adapted  to,  and  which  requires  a 
separate  and  distinct  specification,  say  for  special 
boiler  setting,  special  forms  of  radiation,  etc.,  we 
make  a  written  or  typewriter  copy,  but  usually  for 
the  purpose  of  showing  our  customer  that  the  condi- 
tion is  not  special  with  him,  but  general  with  all,  we 
put  on  the  last  two  sheets  in  the  printed  form. 

In  Section  16  the  guarantee  contains  the  expression, 
"The  said  apparatus  shall  be  capable,"  etc. ;  also  in 
speaking  about  snapping,  cracking,  etc.,  we  state 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 


315 


that  the  building  and  apparatus  is  to  be  kept  in  re- 
pair and  properly  operated,  etc.  Our  contract  proper 
is  the  last  page,  and  is  self-explanatory.  We  have 
found  such  a  form  of  contract  fair  to  all,  and  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  safety  in  dealing  with  many. 

I  have  known  of  a  number  of  instances  where  con. 
tractors  have  been  kept  from  the  use  of  their  money 
until  zero  weather  or  colder  was  had.  While  I 
believe  our  form  of  specification  and  contract  pro- 
tects us,  yet  it  has  been  my  intention  when  next  it 
was  necessary  to  print  to  either  change  the  form  or 
add  an  explanatory  note.  The  guarantee,  while  not 
explicit,  is  enough  to  compel  payments  of  itself  with- 
out possibly  a  question,  yet  I  think  that  the  contract 
proper,  specifying  the  amounts  to  be  paid  and  when 
they  are  to  be  paid,  settles  that  question. 

It  is  a  matter  of  importance  to  every  fitter  to  exert 
his  influence,  not  only  for  his  own  but  for  the  benefit 
of  the  craft,  to  see  that  the  right  interpretation  is 
given  to  specifications,  and  unitedly  to  oppose  the 
careless  specified  exactions  of  many  architects.  Let 
me  say  for  one,  with  all  due  respect  for  the  archi- 
tects, many  of  whom  are  very  capable  of  writing 
heating  specifications,  that  as  a  rule  I  do  not  believe 
it  is  right  that  an  architect  should  specify  in  detail 
the  heating  work.  There  are  in  reality  very  few 
architects  who  are  competent  to  properly  apportion 
the  amount  of  radiation,  boiler  surface,  piping,  etc. 
I  am  strictly  in  favor,  on  a  building  of  any  particular 
size,  of  the  owner  furnishing  to  those  he  wishes 
figures  from  a  complete  set  of  plans  and  specifica- 
tions covering  his  work  in  detail.  Such  specifications 
should  be  prepared  by  a  disinterested  and  competent 
heating  engineer,  to  be  found  in  all  of  our  larger 
cities,  and  who  has  made  a  careful  study  of  the 
different  systems,  and  from  practical  know. edge  and 
experience  knows  what  is  wanted. 

Another  point  I  am  utterly  opposed  to,  not  only  for 
the  good  of  the  craft  but  the  general  good  of  all  con- 
cerned, and  that  is  the  common  practice  in  many 
sections  of  giving  a  carpenter  or  mason  the  contract 
for  the  building,  etc.  There  is  practically  nothing 
saved  the  owner,  but  it  is  frequently  the  case  that  the 
heating  and  plumbing  work  is  cut  down  to  enlarge 
the  contractor's  profit  and  work  substituted  to  meet 
the  condition  of  low  price.  Besides,  one  of  the 
greatest  evils  is  that  the  subcontractor  who  finished 
the  work  last  has  the  poorest  show  to  get  his  money. 

I  am  glad  to  see  this  matter  brought  to  notice  in 
THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD.  It  should  lead  to  a 
friendly  exchange  of  ideas.  C.  W.  LIGHT. 

[Mr.  Light  has  also  sent  a  copy  of  the  specifications 
and  contract  issued  by  his  company.  The  guarantee 
reads  as  follows: 

When  the  apparatus  herein  proposed  to  be  furnished  is 
completed  in  accordance  with  the  conditions  hereof,  we 
guarantee  that  it  will  be  so  constructed  as  to  permit  steam  to 

circulate  in  all  its  parts  with pound  pressure  thereon, 

or  any  higher  pressure;  and  that  the  said  apparatus  shall  be 
capable  of  continuously  warming  all  parts  of  said  building 
that  are  enumerated  in  Section  5  of  this  proposal,  to  the  tem- 
perature mentioned  therein  when  the  outside  temperature  is 

degrees  below  zsro;  further,  the  buildings  and  apparatus 

being  kept  in  repair,  and  the  apparatus  properly  operated, 
there  shall  be  no  snapping,  cracking,  or  pounding  whatso- 
ever in  the  pipes  or  radiators,  nor  shall  there  be  any  appreci- 
able loss  of  steam  or  water  trom  auy  part  of  the  said  appar- 
atus; we  further  guarantee  that  all  work  and  materials 
furnished  by  us  shall  be  free  from  any  mechanical  defects  for 
a  period  of years  from 189 

The  variable  quantity  consisted  in  the  construction 
of  the  building  is  thus  provided  for  in  another  clause 
of  the  agreement. 

Our  estimate  for  the  capacity  of  the  apparatus  required  to 
heat  said  building,  and  our  specifications  and  proposals  are 
all  based  upon  dimensions  and  plans  of  the  building,  and  in- 
formation respecting  Its  construction  received  from  you  or 
your  representatives.  If  it  shall  hereafter  be  found  that  such 
dimensions,  plans,  or  information  are  erroneous,  or  if  changes 
shall  be  made  in  the  plans  of  construction  of  the  building, 
then,  so  far  as  such  error  or  changes  shall  affect  the  sufficiency 
of  the  heating  apoaratus,  the  foregoing  guarantee  as  to  the 
sufficiency  thereof  must  be  deemed  canceled. 


The  terms  of  payment  called  for  by  the  agreement 
are:  "  Fifty  per  cent,  of  the  contract  price  when  the 
boiler  is  set  and  main  supply  pipes  run,  25  per  cent, 
more  when  the  radiation  is  delivered  at  the  building, 
and  the  balance  on  completion  of  the  work  herein 
specified  to  be  performed  by  us."  There  is  also  in- 
cluded provision  for  payment  upon  the  installment 
plan,  the  apparatus  to  remain  the  personal  property 
of  the  installing  company  until  paid  for,  and  the  con- 
tractors  being  entitled  to  remove  the  apparatus  with- 
out process  of  law  in  the  event  of  default  of  pay- 
ments, the  moneys  already  paid  to  be  held  as  liqui- 
dated damages  for  the  use  of  the  property.] 

H.  D.  Crane,  234  North  Pearl  Street,  Cincinnati, 
O.,  writes  that  he  accompanies  all  his  heating  con- 
tracts with  a  guarantee,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
copy. 

I  herewith  guarantee  the  above  apparatus  for  one  year  from 
date  against  any  defects  in  materials  or  workmanship,  and 
that  it  will  fulfill  the  guarantees  called  for  in  our  specifica- 
tions. Should  any  defect  or  deficiencies  develop,  we  will, 
upon  notice,  make  good  the  same  at  our  own  cost. 


BOSTON,  MASS.,  May  7,  1894. 

To  the  Editor  ofTHR  ENGINEERING  RECORD. 

SIR:  The  discussion  of  this  subject  which  has 
already  appeared  in  these  columns  has  been  of 
marked  interest  to  the  writer  and  has  brought  out 
clearly  the  two  aspects  of  the  case — the  commercial 
and  the  engineering.  The  point  of  view  of  the  pur- 
chaser has  not  been  directly  presented,  but  it  is  evi- 
dent that  he  is,  after  all,  the  most  important  factor, 
and  that  he  may  justly  demand  absolute  protection 
against  an  inadequate  heating  system.  Having  the 
power  to  give  or  refuse  his  order,  and  within  reason- 
able limits  to  pay  or  not  to  pay  unless  satisfied,  he  is, 
perforce,  the  one  who  eventually  must  decide  upon 
the  form  of  guarantee  that  will  be  acceptable. 

Therefore,  while  the  question  is  primarily  one  of 
engineering,  the  contractor,  in  point  of  fact,  seeks 
the  aid  of  the  engineer  merely  to  assist  him  in  devis- 
ing some  scheme  by  which  he  may  legitimately 
secure  full  payment  for  his  work  before  it  has  been 
subjected  to  test  under  the  most  adverse  conditions. 

The  matter  is  certainly  a  serious  one,  and  yet  it 
mi^ht  be  made  far  less  so  were  all  purchasers  and 
contractors  alike  honorable  men  and  financially  re- 
sponsible. It  is  well  enough  to  suggest  that  one 
deal  only  with  reputable  houses,  but  circumstances 
will  continually  arise  where  something  more  sub- 
stantial than  a  man's  written  promise  as  to  the 
efficiency  of  a  heating  system  is  necessary  to  the 
protection  of  the  purchaser.  Nevertheless,  it  is 
evident  from  some  of  the  letters  presented  in  this 
discussion,  that  it  is  possible,  under  certain  con- 
ditions, to  enter  into  an  agreement  between  owner 
and  contractor  that  at  once  protects  the  one  and 
secures  payment  to  the  other  when  his  work  is  com- 
pleted. Whether  these  conditions  can  be  made 
general  must,  and  can  only,  be  determined  by  trial. 

The  injustice  of  the  present  form  of  guarantee 
must  be  evident  to  all;  most  assuredly  so  to  those 
contractors  who  have  suffered  by  it.  Perhaps  an 
additional  instance  of  the  effect  may  serve  to  still 
further  emphasize  the  need  of  reform.  Some  years 
ago  a  contract  was  accepted  by  a  certain  heating 
concern  guaranteeing  to  heat  a  given  building  to  70 
degrees  when  the  thermometer  stood  at  o  degree 
outside  and  the  wind  was  blowing  2  )  miles  an  hour, 
the  final  payment  (a  large  proportion  of  the  total) 
being  withheld  until  a  test  should  be  successfully 
made  under  these  conditions.  For  three  winters  the 
contractor  anxiously  awaited  the  proper  opportunity 


THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD'S 


for  a  test,  but  in  vain.  The  thermometer  ran  well 
below  zero,  and  the  wind  rose  far  above  20  miles  an 
hour,  but  on  no  day  did  they  combine  to  give  the 
desired  conditions.  The  matter  was  finally  compro- 
mised to  the  practical  satisfaction  of  both  parties, 
but  the  contractor  lost  three  years'  interest  on  his 
accounts  due. 

It  is  the  experience  of  all  contractors  that  so  long 
as  there  exists  any  unsettled  accounts  the  purchaser 
holds  them  as  a  financial  lever  which  he  is  not  slow 
to  utilize.  But  once  settled,  the  system  is  his  for 
better  or  worse.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  does  it  ap- 
pear that  what  has  been  pronounced  a  dismal  failure 
may  after  all  prove  a  reasonable  success.  The  cus- 
tom of  deferred  payments,  subject  to  satisfactory 
test  under  circumstances  of  wind  and  weather  of  ex- 
ceedingly rare  occurrence,  is  responsible  for  this  con- 
dition under  which  the  contractor  may  be  put  to 
considerable  inconvenience  without  just  cause,  or  at 
least  without  a  corresponding  benefit  to  the  purchaser. 

It  appears  at  first  glance  a  simple  matter  of  engi- 
neering to  determine  once  for  all  a  definite  relation 
between  the  temperatures  that  may  be  maintained 
by  a  given  system  under  varied  outside  temperatures. 
It  such  a  relation  could  be  established  upon  a  basis 
so  simple  that  its  ratson  d'etre  might  be  compre- 
hended by  all,  it  would  at  once  and  for  all  time  settle 
the  difficulty. 

Mr.  Magovern's  letter  has  made  it  evident  that  at 
least  the  matter  is  not  a  simple  one;  in  fact,  that  it 
embodies  so  many  elements  that  to  a  person  not 
versed  in  the  .subject  the  deductions  would  make  no 
logical  appeal  whatever.  And  yet  he  has  presented 
the  simplest  of  all  cases,  that  of  a  room  heated  by 
direct  radiation.  Although  not  desiring  to  criticise 
his  methods  or  results,  it  is  at  least  to  be  noted  that, 
notwithstanding  he  has  clearly  stated  the  well-known 
fact  that  the  loss  of  heat  between  bodies  of  small 
difference  of  temperature  is  about  proportional  to 
that  difference,  nevertheless  his  final  ratios  of  loss 
of  heat  are  far  from  proportional  to  the  differences 
between  the  internal  and  external  temperatures  for 
which  they  were  calculated.  In  fact,  his  deduction, 
for  instance,  that  an  apparatus  capable  of  heating  a 
given  room  to  70  degrees  with  the  thermometer  at 
o  degree  outside  will  only  heat  it  to  74  degrees  with 
an  outside  temperature  of  30  degrees,  bears  upon  its 
face  the  evidence  of  error,  which  it  will  be  found  lies 
in  the  method  of  reasoning. 

The  formulas  quoted  from  Box  apply  only  to  a 
theoretical,  but  a  practically  impossible,  case;  that 
is,  where  there  is  no  loss  of  heat  by  leakage  of  air. 
No  apartment  devoted  to  the  ordinary  uses  of  man 
can  be  found  into  and  from  which  there  is  not  a  con- 


tinual natural  leakage,  while  ventilation  itself  is  but 
the  provision  for,  and  control  of,  such  leakage  on  a 
more  generous  scale.  The  very  variableness  of  this 
factor  in  heat  loss  is  the  strongest  evidence  of  the 
difficulty,  if  not  impossibility,  of  determining  any 
absolute  general  basis  of  calculation  to  meet  the  re- 
quirements of  all  cases  that  may  come  under  con- 
sideration. 

We  have  only  to  appreciate  the  effect  on  the  tem- 
perature of  a  room  produced  by  a  change  in  the  air 
volume  admitted,  and  to  consider  the  difficulty  of  de- 
termining this  volume  when  it  enters  and  leaves  by 
cracks,  crevices,  and  porous  walls,  to  comprehend 
the  obstacles  to  the  development  of  a  generally 
applicable  formula.  Again,  this  natural  ventilation 
will  vary  with  the  relation  of  internal  and  external 
temperatures,  but  not  in  the  same  ratio.  Differences 
in  wind  velocity  hardly  perceptible  to  the  senses  will 
have  an  appreciable  effect  upon  the  results,  while  the 
humidity  of  the  atmosphere  should  be  taken  into 
consideration  in  any  complete  formula. 

Still  further,  the  formula  that  would  apply  to  one 
form  and  location  of  direct  radiation  would  not  hold 
with  other  designs  and  arrangements,  and  would  be 
absolutely  inapplicable  with  any  method  of  indirect 
heating. 

Such,  then,  appear  to  be  some  of  the  difficulties  in 
the  way  of  a  solution  of  this  question  from  an  engi- 
neering standpoint;  difficulties  so  nearly  insuperable 
that  we  are  forced  back  to  the  commercial  side  with 
the  conviction  that  the  reform  must  arise  there. 

At  all  events,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  the  owner 
must  make  it  a  part  of  his  business,  if  not  directlv,  at 
least  by  expert  advice,  to  ascertain  whether  the  sys- 
tem for  which  he  contracts  is  so  designed  and  pro- 
portioned as  to  effect  the  result  desired.  In  the  case 
of  large  buildings,  at  least,  the  specifications  should 
cover  everything  necessary  to  a  successful  system, 
and  the  contractor  be  held  responsible  only  for 
workmanship  and  material. 

With  smaller  buildings,  manufactories,  and  the 
like,  where  no  regular  architect  is  employed,  the  re- 
form must  come,  more  slowly,  to  be  sure,  along  the 
lines  of  better  knowledge  of  the  subject  of  steam 
heating  by  the  public  at  large,  the  employment  of 
heating  engineers  to  design  and  specify  the  systems, 
a  more  general  dealing  with  reputable  concerns,  and 
the  possible  development  of  an  approximate  formula 
that  shall  relieve  the  contractor  of  a  part  of  his  re- 
sponsibility for  an  actual  test  under  the  stated  condi- 
tions of  guarantee,  if  such  be  made. 

WALTER  B.  SNOW, 
Engineer,  B.  F.  Styrtevant  Company. 


STEAM  AND  HOT-WATER  HEATING  PRACTICE. 
[From  THE  ENGINEERIKG  RECORD  of  June  2,  1894  ] 


317 


HEATING  GUARANTEE  AND  ZERO 
WEATHER.  . 

IN  our  issue  of  January  20  we  published  a 
communication  from  W.  H.  Francis,  of  Philadel- 
phia, which  was  a  well-considered  protest 
against  the  usually  expressed  terms  of  the  guar- 
antee of  a  steam  or  hot-water  heating  contract 
— namely,  that  the  building  shall  be  heated  to  a 
temperature  of  70  degrees  when  the  external 
temperature  is  at  zero,  the  final  payment  being 
dependent  on  a  practical  demonstration.  The 
impropriety  and  unfairness  of  this  form  of  guar- 
antee was  then  pointed  out,  cases  being  cited 
where  the  final  payment  was  withheld  for  sev- 
eral years  until  zero  weather  was  obtained. 
Edward  E.  Magovern,  M.  Am.  Soc.  C.  E.;  the 
Huyett  &  Smith  Manufacturing  Company,  of 
Detroit;  George  C.  Andrews,  of  Minneapolis; 
W.  M.  Mackay,  of  New  York;  C.  W.  Light,  of 
Saginaw,  and  Walter  B.  Snow,  of  Boston,  have, 
in  communications  that  are  interesting  and 
instructive,  given  some  good  reasons  why 
the  architect  should  not  incorporate  such 
a  clause  in  his  specifications,  and  why 
every  prudent  and  reputable  contractor  should 
refuse  to  accept  it  in  any  contract  he  may 
sign. 

A  perusal  of  this  correspondence,  which  we 
have  reprinted  in  pamphlet  form  for  convenience 
of  reference,  and  for  the  future  use  of  architects, 
contractors,  and  building  committees,  will  fur- 
ther strengthen  the  position  taken  editorially  by 
THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  in  its  issue  of  Janu- 
ary 20,  and  at  intervals  during  the  past  twelve 
years,  when  it  has  been  maintained  that  the 
practice  is  unfortunately  too  general  among 
architects  to  throw  the  arrangement  of  all  the 
details  upon  the  bidders,  specifying  only  that 
the  building  "shall  be  heated  to  70°  Fahr.  in 
zero  weather."  This  disposition  to  shirk  re- 
sponsibility on  the  part  of  the  architects,  and  the 
readiness  of  bidders  to  take  contracts  on  any 
terms,  and  to  gamble  on  the  chances  of  being 
held  to  a  strict  construction  of  their  require- 
ments, is  clearly  responsible  for  this  unfair  and 
unwise  provision.  The  difficulty  of  formulating 
a  proportional  equivalent  as  suggested  by  P.  G., 
and  discussed  by  Mr.  Magovern  and  others,  is 
made  sufficiently  clear  in  the  correspondence, 
the  conditions  varying  so  widely  in  the  vari- 
ous cases.  With  this  correspondence  before 
him,  it  would  seem  that  any  contractor  who  in 
future  accepts  a  contract  under  which  any  por- 
tion of  the  contract  price  may  be  retained  until 
Providence  sees  fit  to  furnish  zero  weather,  so 
that  a  practical  demonstration  maybe  made,  de- 
serves no  sympathy  if  his  money  is  withheld  for 
a  period  of  several  years. 

If  a  heating  contract  is  to  be  made  with  a 
contractor  to  whom  the  client  is  willing  to  give 
the  work  without  competition,  and  the  sufficiency 
of  the  plant  is  to  be  left  to  the  contractor's 
judgment,  then  the  guarantee  for  results  may  be 


in  the  following  terms:  "  The  system  shall  be 
capable  of  maintaining  a  temperature  of  70° 

Fahr.  with  the  external  temperature  at  ," 

but  the  payments  should  be  made  when  the  work 
is  installed  and  the  guarantee  relied  on.  When, 
however,  as  is  more  often  the  case,  competition 
is  desired,  detailed  plans  and  specifications 
should  be  submitted  alike  for  all  to  bid  on.  If 
the  architect  is  not  competent  to  prepare  these, 
experts  should  be  employed.  These  plans  and 
specifications  should  state  the  kind,  character, 
and  size  of  boiler,  size  of  chimney,  and  size  of 
grate.  If  the  work  is  to  be  on  the  indirect  sys- 
tem they  should  include,  size  of  both  heat  and 
vent  flues,  the  amount  of  indirect  radiating  sur- 
face, whether  in  coils  or  radiators,  how  inclosed 
and  in  what  manner — i.  e.,  wood  or  iron,  the 
size  of  mains  and  return  pipes,  the  number  and 
make  of  valves,  method  of  supporting,  size  and 
description  of  fan,  make  and  size  of  engine,  and 
the  minor  details  that  go  to  make  up  a  properly 
complete  specification  upon  which  each  con- 
tractor can  fairly  and  intelligently  bid. 

The  assumption  recently  made  by  the  Ameri- 
can Architect  in  commenting  on  our  former  edi- 
torial, that  the  determination  Q{  the  necessary 
boiler  capacity  and  radiating  surface  is  necessa- 
rily more  a  matter  of  inference  than  are  the 
other  details  of  building  construction,  is  not 
justified.  Architects  who  have  not  the  special 
technical  knowledge  requisite  to  prepare  a  proper 
heating  specification  know  perfectly  well  that 
such  specifications  can  be  secured  the  same  as 
any  other  professional  service.  A  heating  and 
ventilating  system  must  be  designed  to  secure 
certain  results  under  given  conditions.  These 
are  best  known  by  the  designer  of  .the  building. 
The  margin  or  factor  of  safety  for  which  the 
owner  must  pay  should  be  determined  by  the 
owner's  professional  adviser,  just  as  it  is  done  in 
giving  the  thickness  of  walls,  size  of  beams,  and 
details  of  a  truss,  and  there  is  no  more  uncer- 
tainty in  determining  heating  apparatus  require- 
ments than  other  construction  details. 

With  regard  to  competitive  plans  from  con- 
tractors, as  before  said,  this  is  shirking  responsi- 
bility, and  results  in  the  contractor  gambling  on 
how  poor  a  job  will  be  accepted  by  the  building 
committee.  Usually  there  is  no  expert  to  advise 
the  committee  which  proposition  is  best  for  them 
to  accept,  so  they  take  the  cheapest,  and  while 
they  may  get  all  they  pay  for,  they  rarely  get  what 
they  need,  and  they  find  it  out  when  too  late. 
Moreover,  contractors  in  furnishing  professional 
services  in  the  shape  of  plans  without  compen- 
sation in  the  hope  of  getting  the  work,  have 
largely  increased  their  cost  of  doing  business 
and  reduced  their  legitimate  profits,  since  com- 
petitive schemes  are  apt  to  be  cut  down  to  the 
lowest  possible  limit  in  order  to  bring  the  bids 
down.  Thus,  only  a  partial  job  can  be  done, 
the  character  of  which  is  not  realized  by  the 
building  committee  until  too  late. 


(Prior  to  1887  The 
Sanitary  Engi- 
neer), because  of 
the  prominence  it 
gives  to  problems 
of  Building  and 
Sanitary  Engineer- 
ing, is  in  these  days 

a  most  valuable  aid  to  every  Architect,  Heating  and  Ventilating  Engineer, 
and  to  every  person  who  is  called  upon  to  design  and  prepare  specifications 
for  important  modern  buildings,  and  to  those  who  are  their  custodians  after 
erection.  Its  architectural  competition  for  Improved  Tenement  House  Designs 
in  1878,  and  for  School  Buildings  in  1880,  with  the  study  and  discussion  there- 
by evoked,  had  a  direct  influence  in  securing  remedial  legislation,  and  the 
erection  of  a  better  class  of  those  buildings  has  been  the  result.  It  publishes 
elaborately  illustrated  articles  describing  notable  buildings,  giving  special 
prominence  to  the  details  of  Modern  Steel  and  Iron  Construction,  Foundations, 
Roofs,  Fire-Proofing,  Industrial  Buildings,  Steam  and  Power  Plants,  Heating 
by  Steam  and  Hot  Water,  Ventilation,  Plumbing,  Water  Supply,  Drainage, 
Elevator,  Pneumatic  and  Electric  Service.  Besides,  its  replies  to  questions 
from  architects  and  those  interested  in  every  phase  of  building  construction 
have  made  the  back  volumes  an  encyclopedia  of  information.  In  short,  the 
RECORD,  though  conducted  as  an  engineering  journal,  maintains  con- 
spicuous departments  devoted  to  the  Engineering  and  Construction  Problems 
with  which  every  architect  and  contractor  has  to  deal. 

The  late  General  M.  C.  Meigs,  formerly  Quartermaster-General  of  U.  S. 
Army,  wrote  in  1888  referring  to  Vol.  XVI.: 

"It  is  a  marvelous  list  of  knowledge  made  accessible  to  the  profession  at  small  cost 
to  each  subscriber. 

"  I  congratulate  you  upon  producing  for  the  building  trade  one  of  the  most  copious 
and  valuable  instructors  in  safe  and  sanitary  building  science  in  all  branches  ever 
published." 

Under  date  of  November  19,  1892,  a  well-known  Architect  wrote : 

"I  consider  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD,  the  only  paper  published  that  is  of  use  in 
an  architect's  office  who  designs  the  more  complex  matter  or  modern  buildings. 

"  There  are  several  publications  that  are  of  use  as  reference  in  designing  residences, 
and  others  that  are  additions  to  his  library  and  pleasant,  profitable  reading  in  his  idle 
hours ;  but  there  are  none  which  treat  intelligently  of  the  problems  arising  from  the  tend- 
ency of  the  larger  buildings  to  become  cities  in  themselves,  which  in  their  planning  re- 
quire the  knowledge  of  a  civil  engineer,  sanitary  engineer,  heating  engineer,  mechanical 
engineer,  electrical  engineer  and  an  old-style  architect  rolled  into  one,  and  who  in  con- 
sidering the  necessities  of  the  various  parts,  must  at  all  times  be  a  financier  ;  on  this  class 
of  work  your  paper  is  an  incentive  to  extra  effort  and  a  helpmate." 

"The  success  of  this  publication  has  been  marked  in  many  ways;  not  only  has  it 
become  a  source  of  profit  to  its  projector,  but  it  has  been  of  incalculable  value  to  the 
general  public  whose  interests  it  has  always  served." — Cincinnati  Gazette. 

"  It  stands  as  a  fine  example  of  clean  and  able  journalism."— Railroad  Gazette. 

It  is  published  every  Saturday,  $5.00  per  year  to  the  United  States  and 
Canada;  $6.00  to  other  countries.  Sample  copies  and  list  of  its  publications 
free.  Address, 

277  PEARL,   STREET,   NEW   YORK. 


P.  O.  Box  3037. 


Architects  and  Building  Committees  having  public  buildings  to  erect 
will  find  a  proposal  advertisement  in  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  at 
twenty  cents  per  line  a  profitable  investment  for  their  clients,  since  it  is 
taken  by  contractors  in  every  portion  of  the  United  States  and  Canada,  its 
contract  news  columns  every  week  containing  reliable  news  not  elsewhere 
•published. 


f(gdigtors. 


EXTRA  HIGH   LEGS. 


CIRCULAR  RADIATOR. 


NEW  YORK. 

BOSTON. 


BUFFALO. 

CHICAGO. 


ALL    WIDTHS. 

ALL    HEIQHTS. 


FOUR  COLUMN.    REGULAR  LOOP.    SINGLE  COLUMN. 


ll'A  ins.  wide. 
7  sq.  ft. 


9  ins.  wide. 
5sq  ft. 


ir.a.  -wide. 
8  sq.  ft. 


BUFFALO-STANDARD  INDIRECTS. 


THE  MOST  COMPLETE  LINE 

OF  PERFECT  GOODS 

IN  THE  U.  S.  A. 


THE      BOYNTON'    STEAM  BOILERS. 

Kor  Hard  or  Soft  Coal,  "Wood  or  Natural  Gas. 


CAPACITY 

FOR 

DIRECT 


725/0  7,500 
SQUARE  FEET. 


THE    BOYNTON'  HARD  COAL  HOT-WATER  HEATERS 


CAPACITY 

FOR 

DIRECT 

RADIATION 

1 50  to  5,500 

SQUARE  FEET. 


THE    BOYNTON''  SOFT  COAL  HOT-WATER  HEATERS. 


CAPACITY 

FOR 

DIRECT 

RADMTION 

550  to  2,400 

SQUARE  FEET. 

—  MANUFACTURED  ONLY  BY  — 


THE    BOYNTON    KURNACE    COMPANV, 

2O7  and   2O9  Water  Street,  New  York. 
195   and    197   Lake  Street,  Chicago. 

Sole  Manufacturers  of  Boynton's  Celebrated  Furnaces,   Low-Pressure  Steam  Boilers,  Hot-Water  Heate* 


Established  1849., 


Baltimore   Fire-place   Heaters  and.    Ranges. 


RICHMOND   HEATERS 


HEATING  OF  HOMES  A  SPECIALTY 


STEAM  CAPACITIES,    =    =    =   2OO  to  3,OOO  »q.  feet. 
Hox  \VATER    CAPACITIES,    3OO  to  5,OOO   »q.  feet. 


WE    ARE    NOT   CONTRACTORS. 
WE  SELL  ONLY  TO  THE  TRADE. 


THE  RICHMOND  STOVE  COMPANY 

NORWICH,  CONN. 


Sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  $6.00. 

Over  5OO  pp.— 2  I  O  Illustrations. 

VENTILATION!!  HEATING, 


BY   JOHN    S.    BILLINGS,    A.  M.,    M.  D., 

LL. D.  Edinb.  and  Harvard.     D.  C.  L.  Oxon.     Member  of  the 
National  Academy  ot  Sciences.    Surgeon,  U.  S.  Army,  etc. 


FROM  THE  PREFACE. 

IN  preparing  this  volume  my  object  has  been  to  produce  a  book  which  will 
not  only  be  useful  to  students  of  architecture  and  engineering,  and  be 
convenient  for  reference  by  those  engaged  in  the  practice  of  these  professions, 
but  which  can  also  be  understood  by  non-professional  men  who  may  be 
interested  in  the  important  subjects  of  which  it  treats;  and  hence  technical 
expressions  have  been  avoided  as  much  as  possible,  and  only  the  simplest 
formulae  have  been  employed.  It  includes  all  that  is  practically  important 
of  my  book  on  the  Principles  of  Ventilation  and  Heating,  the  last  edition  of 
which  appeared  in  1889 ;  but  it  is  substantially  a  new  work,  with  numerous 
illustrations  of  recent  practice.  For  many  of  these  I  am  indebted  to  THE 
ENGINEERING  RECORD,  in  which  the  descriptions  first  appeared. 

I  am  also  indebted  to  Dr.  A.  C.  Abbott  for  much  valuable  assistance  in  its 
preparation,  and  to  the  architects  and  heating  engineers  who  have  furnished 
me  with  plans  and  information,  and  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  descriptions  of  the  several  buildings,  etc.,  referred  to  in  the  text. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  JOHN  S.  BILLINGS. 

December,  1892. 

TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. — Introduction.  Utility  of  Ven- 
tilation. 

CHAPTER  II.— History  and  Literature  of 
Ventilation. 

CHAPTER  III.— The  Atmosphere:  Its  Chem- 
ical and  Physical  Properties. 

CHAPTER  IV.— Carbonic  Acid. 

CHAPTER  V.— Conditions  Which  Make  Ven- 
tilation Desirable  or  Necessary.  Physi- 
ology of  Respiration.  Gaseous  and  Par- 
ticulate  Impurities  of  Air.  Sewer  Air. 
Soil  Air.  Dangerous  Gases  and  Dusts  in 
Particular.  Occupations  or  Processes  of 
Manufacture.  Drying  Rooms. 

CHAPTER  VI. — On  Moisure  in  Air,  and  Its 
Relations  to  Ventilation. 

CHAPTER  VII.— Quantity  of  Air  Required 
for  Ventilation. 

CHAPTER  VIII.— On  the  Forces  Concerned 
in  Ventilation. 

CHAPTER  IX. — Examination  and  Testing  ot 
Ventilation. 

CHAPTER  X.— Methods  of  Heating.  Stoves. 
Furnaces.  Fireplaces.  Steam  and  Hot 
Water.  Thermostats. 

CHAPTER  XI.— Sources  of  Air  Supply.  Fil- 
tration of  Air.  Fresh-Air  Flues  and  In- 
lets. By-passes. 

CHAPTER  XII.— Foul-Air  or  Upcast  Shafts. 
Cowls.  Syphons. 

CHAPTER  XI1L— Ventilation  of  Mines. 

ADDRESS,    BOOK    DEPARTMENT, 


CHAPTER  XIV.— Ventilation  of  Hospitals 
and  Barracks  Barrack  Hospitals.  Hos- 
pitals for  Contagious  Diseases.  Blegdams 
Hospital.  U.  S.  Army  Hospitals.  Cam- 
bridge Hospital.  Hazleton  Hospital. 
Barnes  Hospital.  New  York  Hospital. 
Johns  Hopkins  Hospital  Hamburg  Hos- 
pital. Insane  Asylums.  Barracks 

CHAPTER  XV.— Ventilation  of  Hmll«  of 
Audience  and  Assembly  Roomr  The 
Houses  of  Parliament.  The  U.  S.  Capitol. 
The  New  Sorbonne.  The  New  York 
Music  Hall.  The  Lenox  Lyceum. 

CHAPTER  XVI.— Ventilation  of  Theaters. 
Manchester  Theaters.  Grand  Opera  House 
in  Vienna.  Opera  House  at  Franktort-on- 
the-Main.  Metropolitan  Opera  House, 
New  York.  Madison  Square  Theater. 
Academy  of  Music,  Baltimore.  Pueblo 
Opera  House.  Empire  Theater,  Philadel- 
phia. 

CHAPTER  XVII. — Ventilation  of  Churches. 
Dr.  Hall's  Church,  New  York.  Hebrew 
Temple,  Keneseth-lsrael,  Philadelphia. 

CHAPTER  XVIII.— Ventilation  of  Schools. 
Bridgeport  School.  Jackson  School,  Min- 
neapolis. Garfield  School,  Chicago  Bryn 
Mawr  School,  near  Philadelphia.  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York. 

CHAPTER  XIX.— Ventilation  of  Dwelling 
Houses. 

CHAPTER  XX.  —  Ventilation  of  Tunnels, 
Railway  Cars,  Ships,  Shops,  Stables,  Sew- 
ers. Cooling  of  Air.  Conclusion. 


ENGINEERINGS    RECORD, 


277  PEARL  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


VENTILATION 

AND  HEATING. 

By  JOHN  S.  BILLINGS,  A.  M.,  M.  D.t 

LL.D.  Edinb.  and  Hai  vard.    D.  C.  L.  Oxon.   Member  of  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences. 
Surgeon,  U.  S.  Army,  etc. 


,.  "Dr.  John  S.  Billings,  the  Director  of  the  Department  of  Hygiene  of  the  University  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  probably  the  greatest  authority  on  all  hygienic  matters  in  the  world,  published  severa 
years  ago  a  brief  work  on  Heating  and  Ventilation.  The  demand  for  this  work  has  been  constant, 
and  its  publication  has  greatly  increased  the  general  knowledge  at  this  important  subject.  As  the 
discussion  of  the  matter  has  proceeded,  many  facts  have  been  discovered  and  new  inventions  made, 
and  Dr.  Billings  has  therefore  decided  to  recast  and  enlarge  the  work.  His  principal  assistant, 
Prof.  A.  C.  Abbott,  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  has  aided  him  in  the  compilation  of  a 
work  which  will  undoubtedly  rank  as  the  chief  authority  on  ventilation.  The  new  volume  contains 
500  pages,  and  is  fully  illustrated  with  working  drawings.  Many  of  these  were  originally  used  in 
THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD,  and  are  models  of  clearness  and  accuracy,  though  necessarily 
printed  on  a  small  scale.  The  work  will  be  almost  invaluable  to  all  whose  business  requires  them 
to  study  the  difficult  subject  of  ventilation,  as  well  as  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  construe, 
tion  of  hospitals  or  other  public  ins.itutions." — Philadelphia  Ledger,  April  zr,  iSyy. 

DR.  BILLINGS'  work  is  in  all  respects  excellent,  and  furnishes  a  most  convenient  and  complete 
reference  volume  for  the  Vdry  important  subjects  of  which  it  treats.  It  is  plainly  and  simply 
written,  so  as  to  ba  available  for  non-professional  as  well  as  for  professional  men,  and  leaves  little 
to  be  desired  as  regards  fullness.  The  opening  chapter  en  the  utility  of  ventilati  .j  may  be  studied 
with  advantage  oy  young  people  of  both  sexes,  the  subject  being  at  least  as  important  and  as 
generally  neglected  as  those  of  food,  clothing  and  exercise.  In  this  country,  certainly,  the  average 
student,  after  completing  a  college  course,  goes  out  into  the  world  with  but  the  slightest  knowledge 
of  how  to  take  care  of  his  bodily  and  mental  health.  In  his  tnird  ch  ipter  the  author  treats  of  the 
composition  and  physical  properties  of  the  atmosphere,  and  in  the  fourth  of  carbonic  dioxide, 
familiarly  known  as  carbonic  acid.  Then  comes  a  chapter  on  the  conditions  which  make  ventila- 
tion necessary  and  the  physiology  of  respiration.  Moisture  in  the  air,  the  quantity  of  air  required 
for  ventilation,  the  forces  concerned  in  the  process,  and  the  methods  of  testing  come  next  in  order. 
All  these  subjects  may  be  regarded  as  introductory.  We  come  then  to  special  modes  of  heating, 
and  these  are  discussed  with  much  care  and  thoroughness.  Sources  and  methods  of  air  supply 
follow,  and  then  ventilating_  shafts  with  their  accessories.  Finally,  in  eight  chapters,  we  have  the 
various  methods  of  ventilating  mines  and  hospitals,  halls  and  public  buildings  of  all  kinds,  schools 
and  dwellings,  and  lastly,  miscellaneous  applications  of  the  now  generally  received  principles. 

The  illustrations  are  good  and  very  numerous,  and  we  can  safely  venture  to  predict  for  the 
work  a  wide  sphere  of  usefulness. — The  Nation,  June  /,  18133. 

"In  looking  through  the  pages  of  the  recent  work  on  'Ventilation  and  Heating,'  by  Dr.  Billings, 
and  recollecting  that  the  subjects  treated  in  the  bulky  fiye-hundred-paged  volume  relate  to  what  is 
after  all  only  a  single  department  of  architectural  practice,  and  recollecting  also  that  the  architect 
is  supposed  to  be  well  posted  about  the  subject  even  if  not  a  past-master,  one  cannot  but  feel  the 
immensity  of  the  professional  matters  which  nowadays  are  added  to  the  requirements  pt  that 
busiest  of  professional  men,  the  aichitect;  but  after  reading  the  volume  attentively  and  considering 
the  vast  amount  of  detail  which  enters  into  it,  the  extent  of  exact  scientific  knowledge  which  it  implies, 
one  appreciates  that  however  ardently  an  architect  might  wish  to  know  it  all,  in  these  days  of  com- 
plicate 4  life  he  can  hope  at  best  to  be  only  a  leader  among  specialists  in  so  far  as  relates  to  the  so- 
called  practical  details  of  his  p'ofession. .  It  is  hopeless  to  expect  that  in  tne  rush  of  business  life  a 
single  man  could  master  fully  and  hold  available  for  daily  practice  the  amount  of  knowledge  in- 
volved in  the  mastery  of  ventilation  and  heating,  and  it  is  still  more  vain  to  hope  that,  having  once 
mastered  such  a  subject,  an  architect  would  have  the  time  to  keep  abreast  with  the  changing  views, 
the  fresh  data  and  the  more  recent  researches  which  are  constantly  being  put  forward  in  these 
special  lines.  Certain  portions  of  Dr.  Billings's  work  have  appeared  in  a  previous  work,  the  s  Prin- 
ciples of  Heating  and  Ventilation,'  issued  in  i88q;  but  the  present  volume  is  substantially  new,  with 
numerous  illustrations  of  recent  practice,  many  of  them  drawn  from  the  pawres  of  THE  ENGI- 
NEERING RECORD  in  which  the  descriptions  first  appeared.  As  to  Dr.  Billings's  ability  to  speak 
on  the  subject  there  is  no  question.  He  has  made  it  a  long  study  and  is  one  of  the  best  authorities 
in  every  sense,  and  while  it  is  perhaps  to  be  regretted  that  the  volume  is  not  more  condensed,  it  is 
very  difficult  to  draw  the  line  and  say  what  could  be  omitted  without  sacrificing  the  perfect  illus- 
tration of  the  subject.  *  *  * 

"Perhaps  the  most  practically  available  portions  of  the  work  are  the  very  numerous  and  com- 
plete illustrations,  including  nearly  all  the  best  examples  of  heating  and  ventilation  throughout 
the  world.  The  plans  and  other  cu.s  are  specially  to  be  commended  for  their  clearness,  and  the 
thorough  manner  in  which  particular  systems  are  illustrated  so  as  to  be  made  perfectly  manifest, 
The  illustrations  are  by  no  means  confined  to  the  stock  examples  which  are  found  in  so  many  of  the 
older  works  on  ventilation  and  heating.  The  New  Sorbonne  at  Paris,  the  Music  Hall  and  the 
Metropolitan  Opera  House  at  New  York,  the  Pueblo  Opera  House,  Empire  Theater,  Philadelphia, 
as  wall  as  a  number  of  very  thorough  instances  of  domestic  work,  are  fully  illustrated. 

"Dr.  Billings  states  in  the  preface  that  his  object  his  been  to  produce  a  book  which  should  be 
useful  to  students  of  architecture  and  engineering,  as  well  as  of  intere.-t  to  non-professional  men 
who  may  be  interested  in  the  m  >re  important  subjects  which  he  treats.  While  his  volume  perfectly 
elucidates  the  points  which  he  discusses,  and  is  thoroughly  admirable  in  every  respect  as  a  work  on 
heating  and  ventilation,  we  fancy  that  any  one  except  a  hea  ing  engineer  \vho  would  attempt  to 
peruse  the  volume  would  feel  so  overpowered  with  the  vastness  of  the  subject  that  the  first  effect 
of  the  b  x>k  would  be  to  send  the  architect  or  the  non-professional  pers  m  immediately  into  the 
arms  of  the  specialist,  rather  than  to  lead  him  to  avail  hi-nself  of  the  very  complete  information 
which  the  book  affords.  This  can  hardly  be  considered  a  defect;  indeed,  if  the  book  should  produce 
no  other  result  than  to  convince  the  average  architect  that  he  should  leave  the  matters  of  heating 
and  ventilation  as  a  ruH  entirely  to  specialists,  it  will  certainly  have  accomplished  a  very  important 
mission."— American  Architect. 


"A  book  that  so  pla'nly  sets  forth  the  true  principles  of  ventilation  that  all  intelligent,  educated 
people  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  read  It  may  understand  these  principles;  that  not  only  points 
out  the  evils  of  deficient  ventilation,  but  verifies  them:  that  not  only  clearly  states  the  requirements 
in  apparatus  for  good  ventilation,  but  also  the  difficult-'es  to  be  met  in  securing  such  requirements, 
at  the  same  time  being  so  free  from  technicalities  as  to  fit  it  for  the  use  of  lay  readers  without 
lessening  its  value  for  men  technically  trained— is  a  welcome  addition  to  the  hitherto  somewhat 
meager  books  upon  ventilation.  Such  a  book  has  been  supplied  by  Dr.  Billings,  who  has  made 
ventilation  a  special  study  for  many  years.  This  author,  while  bringing  to  his  work  a  rare  scien- 
tific and  educational  equipment,  possesses  the  happy  faculty  of  writing  in  a  popular  style  without 
thereby  being  betrayed  into  weakness  and  error  in  the  enunciation  of  principles— a  faculty  not 
frequently  met  in  writers  upon  scientific  subjects. 

"The  ready  understanding^  of  the  text  in  this  book  is  assisted  by  210  illustrations,  including 
diagrams  serving  to  make  plain  the  construction  and  uses  of  various  instruments  and  apparatus 
essential  to  the  determination  of  direction  and  velocity  of  air  currents  in  inclosed  spaces  and  flues, 
and  the  chemical  analysis  of  air  for  ascertaining  qualitatively  and  quantitatively  ths  impurities  in 
it.  Copious  and  detailed  illustrations  of  ventilating  apparatus  employed  in  important  examples  of 
practice  in  heating  and  ventilating  private  and  public  buildings  are  also  given.  The  part  of  the 
work  devoted  to  such  description  and  iljustration  will  prove  of  more  value  to  architects  and  engi- 
neers than  to  lay  readers.  fSotne  sp  ice  is  also  devoted  to  ventilation  of  mines,  ships,  stables,  bar- 
racks, etc.  '  Under  these  headings  may  be  found  considerable  matter,  which,  however,  adding  a 
little  to  what  is  now  made  part  of  regular  instruction  in  schools  of  mining,  will  be  of  interest  to 
those  engaored  in  ventilating  buildings  by  way  of  general  information,  rather  than  from  new  facts 
contributed  to  the  common  stock." — Leicester  Allen  in  Engineering  Magazine,  October,  1893, 

"lu  this  volume  Dr.  Billings  treats  all  the  important  matters  connected  with  ventilation  and 
heating  in  a  masterly  way ;  his  book  will  rank  among  the  standard  works  on  the  subject.  An 
interesting  account  of  the  history  of  ventilation  is  given  at  the  commencement,  and  an  extensive 
list  of  the  general  literature.  Dr.  Billings  tells  us  that  the  history  of  ventilation  began  with  the 
attempts  to  ventilate  the  Houses  of  Parliament  in  1660  by  "Wren,  and  adds :  '  The  history  of  these 
attempts  would  be  almost  equivalent  to  a  history  of  the  art  of  ventilation  in  its  entirety.' 

"  Several  chapters  are  devoted  to  the  chemical  and  physical  properties  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
very  completely  are  the  results  of  investigators  collected  and  tabulated.  This  is  markedly  the  case 
in  the  chapter  on  carbonic  acid  in  the  air,  for  no  fewer  than  21  tables  are  given,  classifying  the 
results  of  published  researches  into  the  amount  of  the  gas  present  under  every  variety  of  condition 
of  the  atmosphere.  The  physical  aspects  of  the  physiology  of  respiration  are  ably  dealt  with,  and 
the  importance  of  the  organic' matter  discharged  and  the  estimation  of  it  by  the  albuminoid  ammonia 
method  fully  gone  into.  What  is  said  of  bacteria  is  to  the  point.  The  question  of  sewer  gas  as  a 
means  of  transmission  of  specific  diseases  is  fully  discussed,  and  Dr.  Billings  concludes— although, 
as  he  states,  some  distinguished  English  sanitarians  believe  the  contrary— that  there  is  no  satis- 
factory evidence  that  typhoid  fever  has  been  spread  through  the  gases  coming  from  foul  sewers. 

"The  larger  part  or  the  work  deals  with  engineering  questions  connected  with  heating  and 
ventilaton,  and  we  are  acquainted  with  no  book  which  gives  so  complete  an  account  of  the  modern 
engineering  devices  as  this  does.  The  methods  applicable  to  private  houses,  hospitals,  barracks, 
theaters,  and  all  kinds  of  buildings  are  fully  gone  into,  and  the  plans  and  sections  of  existing  build- 
ings which  are  given  are  excellent.  -This  part  of  the  work  is  of  great  value  in  showing  us  what 
American  sanitary  engineers  have  done."—£ritisA  Medical  Journal,  November  18,  18)3. 

"This  work  is  a  large,  carefully  arranged  and  systematically  indexed  book  of  500  large  octavo 
pages,  and,  coming  as  it  does  from  one  of  the  most  careful  students  and  best  known  authorities 
on  ventilation  and  heating,  will  be  recognized  not  only  as  the  latest  but  as  the  most  authentic  pre- 
sentation of  the  subject.  While  the  work  is  of  an  eminently  practical  character  and  adapted  to  the 
use  of  architects  and  engineers,  it  has  much  of  value  and  interest  to  that  portion  of  the  general 
public  who  would  be  intelligent  on  the  subject.  With  this  in  view  the  author  has  not  loaded  it 
down  with  scientific  terms  or  intricate  problems  that  would  tend  only  to  perplex  the  layman. 
WMle  the  largest  share  of  the  book  is  cevoted  to  what  we  might  call  remedial  instructions,  many 
points  in  regard  to  the  history  of  the  science  are  given.  The  history  of  ventilation  carries  us  back 
to  1660,  when  the  first  efforts  were  made  to  ventilate  the  House  of  Commons.  His  records  of  the 
various  devices  suggested  and  tried  for  this  purpose  are  of  interest,  as  well  as  the  brief  record  of 
experiments  which  bring  us  down  to  the  present  state  of  the  science.  Chapters  III.  to  VII.  are  de- 
voted to  facts  regarding  the  composition  of  natural  and  vitated  airs.  Chapter  III.  treating  of  atmos- 
phere, its  composition  and  physical  properties.  The  next  chapter  is  given  over  to  carbonic  acid,  the 
most  general  cause  of  air  vitiation.  Following  this,  Chapter  V.  treats  of  conditions  which  make 
ventilation  desirable  or  necessary,  physiology  of  respiration,  gaseous  and  particulate  impurities  of 
air,  sewer  air,  soil  air,  dangerous  airs  and  dusts,  and  occupations  or  processes  of  manufacture. 
Seven  chapters  serving  thus  to  furnish  that  basis  of  knowledge  requisite  to  meet  special  cases,  the 
balance  of  the  book  may  be  called  the  applied  section.  In  it  the  forces  which  produce  ventilation, 
the  mechanical  methods  adopted,  and  the  theory  of  air  currents  are  fully  discussed  and  exemplified 
by  the  actual  work  of  ventilating  engineers  in  great  public  buildings,  churches,  and  schools. 
Methods  of  testing  air  currents  and  the  devices  adopted  by  various,  ventilating  engineers  for  the 
measurement  of  volume  and  speed  are  illustrated  and  described  The  heating  capacity  of  furnaces 
is  given;  the  radiating  surfaces  required  under  various  conditions  are  explained  and  tabulated; 
examples  of  various  buildings,  such  as  hospitals,  schools,  dwellings,  etc.,  are  given,  accompanied  by 
plans  and  drawings  showing  the  methods  adopted.  The  great  store  of  facts  here  presented  makes 
:he  work  a  necessity  in  any  architectural  or  engineering  library.  "—Architecture  and  Building, 
May  12,  t&tf. 


O  VER  500  pp.      210  ILL  US  TKA  TIONS. 


SENT  POST-PAID  OX  RECEIPT  OF  $6.00. 


ADDRESS  BOOK  DEPARTMENT, 

THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD,  277  Pearl  Street,  New  York. 


Connections 


No  Packed 
Joints 


Easily 
Cleaned 


Vertical 
Water 

Ways 


Double 

Corrugated 

Fire  Box 


For  Hard  or 
Soft  Coal, 


MR.  WILLIAM  J.  BALDWIN,  M.  E.,  the  Heating  Engineer,  of  New  York,  says  in  his  trial  of  THIS  boiler: 

"The  equivalent  evaporation  per  pound  of  combustible  from  water  at  212°  Fahr.  to  5  pounds  pressure  of  ste«.m  is  11.02 
pounds  of  water.  The  equivalent  evaporation  of  water  from  212°  Fahr.  to  5  pounds  steam  pressure,  per  square  foot  of  average 
boiler  surface  per  hour,  is  2.368  pounds  of  water.  You  will  note  that  when  the  rate  of  combustion  is  equal  to  5  pounds  of  good 
anthracite  coal  per  square  foot  of  grate  per  hour,  that  one  square  foot  of  average  boiler  surface  evaporated  sufficient  steam  for 
10  square  feet  average  radiation;  an  exceedingly  hieh  efficiency  and  rarely  obtained  in  practice.  The  low  temperature  at  which 
the  gases  of  combustion  entered  the  chimney,  r  tnging  from  3  to  21  degrees  above  the  temperature  of  the  steam,  shows  that  the 
boiler  utilizes  about  all  the  available  heat  of  the  iuel.  ' 


iKERS  OF 

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APPARATUS  I 

FOR  THE  \ 

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CARTON  FURNACE  CO. 

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DISCOUNT 


AMERICAN  RADIATORS 

"Else  how  had  the  world  avoided  pinching  cold?" 


NATIONAL  SINGLE  COLUMN. 


ITALIAN  FLUE. 


The  giant  strides  taken  during  the  past  few 
years  in  the  development  of 

AMERICAN 

Steam  and  Hot-Water  Heating 

PRACTICE 

but  marks  the  pace  in   the  ever-increasing, 
tremendous  sales  ot 

AMERICAN  RADIATORS 

Because  of  the  full  value  put  into  them,  and 
the  application  to  their  manufacture  of  every 
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Quick  service  at  all  times  of  the  year. 

AFRICAN  RADIATOR  COMPANY 


111-113  LAKE  ST.,  CHICAGO. 


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DETROIT  ORNAMENTAL. 


MONARCH  FLUE. 


DETROIT  FLUE. 


PERFECT  HEAT 

COMBINED    WITH 

PERFECT  VENTILATION. 


ITALIAN-FLUE  BOX-BASE  RADIATOR. 


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AMERIGANRADIATOR  COMPANY 

CHICAGO,   U.   S.   A. 

New  York.  Boston.          London. 

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Denver. 


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'Whose  office  is  to  bask  the  earth  in  vital-giving  warmth." 


YOUR  HOUSE  HEATED 

Wit})  Steam  or  Hot  Water,  Thoroughly 
and  Economically,  with  our 


"THE  greatest  possible  boiler  surface  is  exposed  to  the  direct  radi- 
ation of  the  fire;  the  drop-tube  system  is  used  and  the  ratio  of 
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easily  erected,  and  furnished  with  new  design  sectional  rocking  and 
dumping  grate. 

Highest  Heating  Efficiency !    Greatest  Fuel  Economy ! 

/^UR  HEATERS  have  been  in  the  market  during  the  past  seven 
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EVERY  HEATER  FULLY  GUARANTEED. 

\A/E  will  be  pleased  to  send  on  application  a  catalogue  illustrating 
and  describing  our  Heaters  in  detail,  and  which  covers  also  a 
treatise  on  Steam  and  Water  Warming  based  on  our  practical  ex- 
perience of  fifty-three  years. 

MANUFACTURING  COMPANY, 

71  Beekrman  Street,        NETW  YORK  CITY. 


DAVIS 
HEATERS 

Pass  the  cold  water  over 
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from  the  INTENSELY  heated  sheet  over  the  fire. 


STEEL. 


CAST  IRON. 


Made  j  Copper,    Steel, 
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use  for  j  Hard  and  Soft  Coal,  Gas, 
Fuel  and  Kerosene. 


DAVIS  HEATER  CO., 

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PIPE  AND  FITTINGS, VALVES,  IKON 
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For  Steam  and  Hot-Water 
,,,  Heating,,, 

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52  EXCHANGE  STREET,  GENEVA,  N.  Y.,  U.S.A. 


CAPITOL  ::  HEATERS. 


MASCOT. 

Water  or  Steam. 


CAF»IXOL. 

Hot  Water. 


THESE  HEATERS  HAVE  SURPASSED 
ALL  PREVIOUS  RECORDS. 


HECLA. 

Steam. 


195    CAMPBELL  AVK.,   DETROIT. 
CHICAGO.  NE\V  YORK.  BOSTON. 


WILLIAM  J.  BALDWIN, 

Mem.  Am.  Soc.  Mech.  Engs., 
Mem.  Am.  Soc.  C.  £., 


HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  ENGINEER, 
AND  CONTRACTOR, 


.  277  TEARL  STREET, 


YORK. 


Author  of  "  Steam-Heating  for  Buildings  "  (Eleventh  Edition),  "  Hot- 
Water  Heating  and  Fitting,"  The  "  Thermus"  Papers,  etc. 


ce,  Flans  and  Estimates  to  Architects, 
Guilders  and  Owners. 


HOT-WATER  HEATING  AND  FITTING; 

OR, 

WARMING  BUILDINGS  BY   HOT-WATER. 

A   DESCRIPTION  OF 

Modern    Hot-  Water   Heating  Apparatus —  The  Methods   of  their 
Construction  and  the  Principles  Involved. 

WITH  OVER  Two  HUNDRED  ILLUSTRATIONS,  DIAGRAMS,  AND  TABLES. 


BY  WILLIAM  J.  BALDWIN,  M.  Am.  Soc.   C.  E., 

Member  American  Society  Mechanical  Engineers. 
AUTHOR  OF  "STEAM-HEATING  FOR  BUILDINGS,''  ETC.,  ETC. 


Graphical  methods  are  used  to  illustrate  many  of  the  important  principles  that  are 
to  be  remembered  by  the  Hot- Water  Engineer. 


The  volume  is  8vo. ,of  385  pages,  besides  the  index;  handsomely  bound 
in  cloth,  and  will  be  sent  postpaid  on  receipt  of  $4.00 


Among  the  questions  treated  are  the  following: 

Laws  of  Hot- Water  Circulation. 

Flow  of  Water  in  the  Pipes  of  an  Apparatus. 

Graphical  Illustration  of  the  Expansion  of  Water. 

Graphical  Illustration  of  the  Theoretical  Velocity  of  Water  in  Flow- 
Pipes. 

Efflux  of  Water  Through  Apertures. 

Passage  of  Water  Through  Short  Parallel  Pipes. 

Passage  of  Water  Through  Long  Pipes. 

Friction  of  Water  in  Long  Pipes. 

Quantity  of  Water  that  will  Pass  Through  Pipes  under  Different  Press- 
ures. 

Diminution  of  the  Flow  of  Water  by  Friction  in  Long  Pipes. 

Loss  of  Pressure  by  Friction  of  Elbows  and  Fittings. 

How  the  Friction  of  Elbows  and  Fittings  may  be  Reduced  to  a  Minimum. 

Flow  of  Water  Through  the  Mains  of  an  Apparatus,  Considered  under 
its  Various  Practical  Conditions. 

How  to  Find  the  Total  Head  Required  when  the  Quantity  of  Water  to 
be  Passed  and  the  Size  and  Length  of  the  Pipes  are  Known. 

How  to  Find  the  Quantity  of  Water  in  U.  S.  Gallons  that  will  Pass 
Through  a  Pipe  when  the  Total  Head  and  Length  and  the  Diameter 
of  the  Pipe  is  Known. 

To  Find  the  Diameter  of  the  Pipes  for  a  Given  Passage  of  Water. 

How  to  Find  the  Direct  Radiating  Surface  Required  for  Buildings. 


How  Heat  is  Lost  from  the  Rooms  of  a  Building. 

Simple  Formula  for  Finding  the  Radiating  Surfaces  for  Buildings. 

Experiments  by  Different  Authorities  on  Radiating  Surfaces. 

To  Find  the  Amount  of  Water  that  should  Pass  Through  a  Radiator 
for  a  Certain  Duty. 

How  to  Determine  the  Size  of  Inlet  and  Outlet  Pipes  for  Hot- Water 
Radiators. 

Diagrams  Giving  Graphical  Methods  for  Finding  the  Diameters  and 
Lengths  of  Flow  and  Return  Pipes  for  Hot-Water  Apparatus. 

Proportioning  Coils  and  Radiators  of  an  Apparatus  for  Direct  Radiation. 

Description  of  Different  Systems  of  Piping  in  Use. 

Proportioning  an  Apparatus  for  Indirect  Heating. 

Illustrations  of  Boilers. 

Hot-Water  Heating  in  the  State,  War,  and  Navy  Department  Building. 

Hot -Water  Heating  in  Private  Residences. 

Boilers  Used  for  Hot- Water  Heating. 

Direct  Radiators  Used  for  Hot-Water  Heating. 

Indirect  Radiators  Used  for  Hot- Water  Heating. 

The  Effect  of  Air-Traps  in  Hot- Water  Pipes. 

Expansion  Tanks — and  How  they  should  be  Prepared. 

Danger  of  Closed  Expansion  Tanks. 

The  Various  Valves  Used  for  Hot- Water  Heating. 

Air- Vents  Used  for  Hot- Water  Radiators. 

Automatic  Regulators  Used  in  Hot- Water  Heating. 

Special  Fittings  for  Hot-Water  Heating. 

How  to  Conduct  Tests  of  Hot-Water  Radiators. 

Method  of  Connecting  Thermometers  with  Hot-Water  Pipes  and 
Radiators. 

Tables  of  Contents  of  the  Pipes  of  an  Apparatus. 

Table  of  Co-efficients  of  the  Expansion  of  Water  from  Various  Sources, 
with  an  Ample  Table  of  Contents  from  which  the  above  Items 
were  Selected;  also  an  Alphabetically  Arranged  Index,  the  Whole 
Containing  a  Large  Amount  of  Useful  Information  of  Great  Value 
to  the  Engineer,  Architect,  Mechanic,  and  Householder.  No  Archi- 
tect, Engineer,  Steam-Fitter,  or  Plumber  throughout  the  United 
States  should  be  without  a  copy  of  this  book.  It  is  written  in  the 
simple  style  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  former  book,  "Steam-Heating  for 
Buildings,"  and  is  within  the  ready  comprehension  of  all. 


Address,  BOOK  DEPARTMENT, 

THE    ENGINEERING    RECORD. 

P.  o.  Box  3037.  277  PEARL  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 

Obtainable  at  London  Office,  92  and  93  Fleet  Street,  for  205. 


B.  F.  STURTEVANT  Co., 

MANUFACTURERS   OF   THE 

STURTEVANT    BLOWERS, 


AND 


STEAM  FANS, 
FOR  HEATING  AND  VENTILATING, 

FOR  FORCED  AND  INDUCED  DRAFT. 


ALL  SIZES  AND  STYLES. 


THE  STURTEVANT 


PATENT 


HOT  BLAST 


STEAM 
HEATING 


APPARATUS. 


COMBINED 


DRYING 


THE  «  STURTEVANT  •  STEAM  -  ENGINES. 


VERTICAL  AND  HORIZONTAL, 

SIMPLE  AND  COMPOUND 
SINGLE  AND  DOUBLE, 

HIGH  AND  Low  PRESSURE. 


AL   ENGINES 

FOR   DRIVING 


B.  F.  STURTEVANT  Co,  rAssTs°N 


BRANCH     STORES: 


38WILHELMSTRASSE, 


STR"T- 


ESTABLISHED    1855 


CRANE 


ELEVATOR 


COMPANY 


pirst 
's  Columbian  gxposition 


CHICAGO 


Sent  Post-paid  on  Receipt  of  $3.00. 

STEAM-HEATING  PROBLEMS; 


OR, 


Questions,  Answers  and  'Descriptions  Delating 
to  Steam- Heating  and  Steam- Fitting, 


THE    ENGINEERING   RECORD, 

ESTABLISHED   1877. 

(Prior  to  1887,  THE  SANITARY  ENGINEER.) 


With  109  Illustrations. 


PREFACE. 

THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD,  while  devoted  to  Engineering:,  Architecture,  Con- 
struction, and  Sanitation,  has  always  made  a  special  feature  of  its  departments  of  Steam 
and  Hot-Water  Heating,  in  which  a  great  variety  of  questions  have  been  answered*nd 
descriptions  of  the  work  in  various  buildings  have  been  given.  The  favor 
with  which  a  recent  publication  from  this  office,  entitled  "Plumbing  and  House- 
Drainage  Problems, "has  been  received  suggested  the  publication  of "  STEAM-HEATING 
PROBLEMS,"  which,  though  dealing  with  another  branch  of  industry,  is  similar  in 
character.  It  consists  of  a  selection  from  the  pages  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD 
of  questions  and  answers,  besides  comments  on  various  problems  met  with  in  the  design- 
ing and  construction  of  steam-heating  apparatus,  and  descriptions  of  steam-heating 
work  in  notable  buildings. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  book  will  prove  useful  to  those  who  design,  construct,  and 
have  the  charge  of  steam-heating  apparatus. 


CONTENTS : 


BOILERS. 


On  Mowing  off  and  filling  boilers. 

Where  a  test-gauge  should  be  applied  to  a.  boiler. 

Domes  on  boilers :  whether  they  are  necessary  or 
not. 

Expansion  of  water  in  boilers. 

Cast  vs.  wrought  iron  for  nozzles  and  magazines 
of  house-heating  boilers. 

Pipe-connections  to  boilers. 

Passing  boiler-pipes  through  walls  ;  how  to  pre- 
vent breakage  by  settlement. 

Suffocation  of  workmen  in  boilers. 

Heating-boilers.     (A  problem.) 

A  detachable  boiler-lug. 

Tsolating-valve  for  steam-main  of  boilers. 

On  the  effect  of  oil  in  boilers. 

Iron  rivets  and  steel  boiler-pjates. 

Proportions  for  rivets  for  boiler-plates. 

Is  there  any  danger  in  using  water  continuously 
in  boilers? 

Accident  with  connected  boilers. 

A  supposed  case  of  charring  wood  by  steam-pipes. 

Domestic  boilers  warmed  by  steam. 

VALUE  OF  HEATING-SURFACES. 

Computing  the  amount  of  radia'or-surface  for 
warming  buildings  by  hot  water. 


Calculating  the  radiating-surface  for  heating 
buildings— the  saving  of  double-glazed  win- 
dows. 

Amount  of  heating-surface  required  in  hot-water 
apparatus  boilers  and  in  steam-apparatus 
boilers. 

Calculating  the  amount  of  radiating-surface  for  a 
given  room. 

How  much  heating-surface  will  a  steam-pipe  of 
_  given  size  supply  ? 

Coiis  vs.  radiators  and  size  of  boiler  to  heat  a 
given  building. 

Calculating  the  amount  of  heating-surface. 

Computing  the  cost  of  steam  for  wanning. 

RADIATORS  AND  HEATERS. 

A  woman's  method  of  regulating  a  radiator  (cov- 
ering it  with  a  cosey). 

Improper  position  of  radiator- valves. 

Hot-water  radiator  for  private  houses. 

Remedying  a'r-binding  of  box-coils. 

How  to  use  a  stove  as  a  hot-water  heater. 

"  Plane"  vs.  "Plain"  as  a  term  as  applied  to  out- 
side surface  of  radiators. 

Relative  value  of  pipe  on  cast-iron  heating  su<- 
face. 

Relative  value  of  pipe  on  steam-coils. 


STEAM-HEATING  PROBLEMS. 


Warming  churches  (plan  of  placing  a  coil  in  each 

pew). 
Warming  churches. 

PIPE  AND  FITTING. 

Steam-heating  work — good  and  indifferent. 

Piping  adjacent  buildings:  pumps  vs.  steam- 
traps. 

True  diameters  and  weights  of  standard  pipes. 

Expansion  of  pipes  of  various  metals. 

Expansion  of  steam-pipes. 

Advantages  claimed  for  overhead  piping. 

Position  of  valves  on  steam-riser  connection. 

Cause  of  noise  in  steam-pipes. 

One-pipe  system  of  steam-heating. 

How  to  heat  several  adjacent  buildings  with  a 
single  apparatus. 

Patents  on  Mills'  system  of  steam-heating. 

Air-binding  in  return  steam-pipes. 

Air-binding  in  return  steam-pipes,  and  methods 
to  overcome  it. 

VENTILATION. 

Size  of  registers  to  heat  certain  rooms. 
Determining  the  size  of  hot-air  flues. 
Window  ventilation. 
Removing  vapor  from  dye-house. 
Ventilation  of  Cunard  steamer  "Umbria." 
Calculating  sizes  of  flues  and  registers. 
On  methods  of  removing  air  from  between  ceiling 
and  roof  of  a  church. 

STEAM. 

Economy  of  using  exhaust  steam  for  heat- 
ing. 

Heat  of  steam  for  different  conditions. 

Superheating  steam  by  the  use  of  coils. 

Effect  of  using  a  small  pipe  for  exhaust  steam- 
heating. 

Explosion  of  a  steam-table. 

CUTTING    NIPPLES    AND    BENDING 
PIPES. 

Cutting    large    nipples— large    in  diameter  and 

short  in  length. 
Cutting  crooked  threads. 
Cutting  a  close  nipple  out  of  a  coupling  after  a 

thread  is  cut. 
Bending  pipe. 
Cutting  large  nipples. 
Cutting  various  sizes  of  thread  with  a  solid  die. 

RAISING  WATER  AUTOMATICALLY. 

Contrivance  for  raising  water  in  high  buildings. 
Criticism   of    the    foregoing  and    description   of 
another  device  for  a  similar  purpose. 

MOISTURE  ON  WALLS,  ETC. 

Cause  and  prevention  of  moisture  on  walls. 
Effect  of  moisture  on  sensible  temperature. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 
Heating  water  in  large  tanks. 
Heating  water  for  large  institutions  and  high  city 

buildings. 
Questions  relating  to  water-tanks. 


Faulty  elevator-pump  connections. 

On  heating  several  buildings  from  one  source. 

Coal-tar  coating  for  water-pipe. 

Filters  for  feeding  house- boiltrs.  Other  means 
of  clarifying  water. 

Testing  gas-pipes  for  leaks  and  making  pipe- 
joints. 

Will  boiling  drinking-water  purify  it? 

Differential  rams  for  testing  httings  and  valves. 

Percentage  of  ashes  in  coal. 

Automatic  pump-governor. 

Cast-iron  safe  for  steam-radiators. 

Methods  of  graduating  radiator  service  according 
to  the  weather. 

Preventing  fall  of  spray  from  steam-exhaust 
.pipes. 

Exhaust-condenser  for  preventing  fall  of  spray 
from  steam-exhaust  pipes. 

Steam-heating  apparatus  and  plenum  (ventila- 
tion), system  in  Kalamazoo  Insane  Asylum. 

Heating  and  ventilation  of  a  prison. 

Amount  of  heat  due  to  condensation  of  water. 

Expansion-joints. 

Resetting  of  house-heating  boiler;— a  possible 
saving  of  fuel. 

How  to  find  the  water-line  of  boilers  and  position 
of  try-cocks. 

Low-pressure  hot-water  system  for  heating 
buildings  in  England  (comments  by  The 
Sanitary  Engineer). 

Steam-heating  apparatus  in  Manhattan  Com- 
pany's and  Merchants'  Bank  Building,  New 

Boilers  in  Manhattan  Company's  and  Merchants' 
Bank  Building,  with  extracts  from  specifica- 
tions. 

Steam-heating  apparatus  in  Mutual  Life  Insur- 
ance Building  on  Broadway. 

The  setting  of  boilers  in  Tribune  Building,  New 
York. 

Warming  and  ventilation  of  West  Presbyterian 
Church,  New  York  City. 

Principles  of  heating-apparatus,  Fine  Arts  Exhi- 
bition Building,  Copenhagen. 

Warming  and  ventilation  of  Opera-House  at 
Ogdensburg,  N.  Y. 

Systems  of  heating  houses  in  Germany  and 
Austria. 

Steam-pipes  under  New  York  streets— difference 
between  two  systems  adopted. 

Some  details  of  steam  and  ventilating  apparatus 
used  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 

MISCELLANEOUS  QUESTIONS. 

Applying  traps  to  gravity  steam-apparatus. 
Expansion  of  brass  and  iron  pipe. 
Connecting  steam  and  return  risers  at  their  tops. 
Power  used  in  running  hydraulic  elevators. 
On  melting  snow  in  the  streets  By  steam. 
Action  of  ashes  street  fillings  on  iron  pipes. 
Arrangement  of  steam-coils  for  heating  oil-stills. 
Converting  a  steam-apparatus   into  a  hot-water 

apparatus  and  back  again. 
Condensation  per  foot  of  steam-main  when  laid 

under  ground. 
Oil  in  boilers  from  exhaust  steam,  and  methods 

of  prevention. 


Address,  BOOK  DEPARTMENT,  Sent  Post-paid  on  Receipt  of  3.00. 

THE    ENGINEERING    RECORD, 

p.  o.  BOX  soar.  277  PEARL  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


AND  HEATEES. 


THE  MOST  COMPLETE  LINE 


Is  MANUFACTURED  BY  THE 


SUCCESSORS  TO 


HUYETT  &  SMITH  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY. 

j 
Nlain    Office   and   Works,    DETROIT,    MICH. 


As  HEATING  AND  VENTILATING  ENGINEERS  H/E  HALE  HAD  THE  MOST  EXTEN- 
SILE ^ND  SUCCESSFUL  EXPERIENCE. 


Address  DETROIT  or- 


CHICAGO,  31  So.  Canal  Street.        NEW  YORK,  26  Cortlandt  Street.        LONDON,  70  Gracechurch  Street. 


RAYMOND 


GAS  AND  GASOI  NE 


ENGINE, 


MANUFACTURED    BY  ... 


THE  WALLACE  &  GRAVES 
MACHINE  &  FOUNDRY  CO., 

LAFAYETTE,  INDIANA. 


DOUBLE-CYLINDER  ENGINES 

FROM  3  TO  40  HORSE-POWER. 

SINGLE-CYLINDER  ENGINES 

FROM   i  TO  75  HORSE-POWER. 


No  Engineer   Required. 
Absolutely  Safe. 
Best   Engine   on   tine 
IVtarltet   for 
ELECTRIC  LIGHTING 


MAHONY  VERTICAL  SECTION  BOILER. 


MAHONY   BOILERS 

For  Steam  or  Hot-Water  Heating. 


CAPACITIES  FROM 


1OO    SQ.    KT.    TO    2,7OO    SQ.   RT.    KOR    STEAM, 
15O    SQ.    KT.   TO    4,5OO    SQ.   KT.  KOR 


CATALOGUE  AND 
HANDY  REFERENCE  T$OOK.  . . 


MANUFACTURED   BY: 


MAHONY  RETURN-FLUE  BOILER. 


M.  MAHONY, 

TROY,  N.  Y. 


MAHONY    DIRECT-DRAFT    BOILER. 


BRONSON 

WATER  TUBE 

BOILERS 

BRICK  SET  OR  PORTABLE.     MAGAZINE  FEED  OR 
SURFACE  BURNING.     STEAM  OR  HOT  WATER.  . . 

BRONSON   POINTS. 

ECONOMY,  SIMPLICITY,  AUTOMATIC,  SELF-FEED,  UNIFORM  TEMPERATURE,  EASE 
.  OF  MANAGEMENT,  NO  NOISE,  DURABILITY,  ABSOLUTE  SAFETY,  COM- 
PACTNESS, NO  GAS,  SCIENTIFIC  GRATE,  AND  EFFICIENCY. 


PORTABLE. 


BRICK  SET. 


MANUFACTURED    BY 


WESTON  ENGINE  COMPANY,  p™ 


H.  J.  BARRON, 

621  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK  CITY.' 


SOLD  BY 


HOFFMAN-RUSSELL  CO., 
82  LAKE  ST.,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 


THE  ••  HIGHEST  ••  DEVELOPMENT 

...  IN  ... 

EXHAUST  STEAM  HEATING 


IS    TO    BE    FOUND    IN 


THE  PAUL  SYSTEM' 

BY  WHICH   GREAT  ECONOMY  AND   THE   MOST   EQUABLE 

-TEMPERATURES  ARE  OBTAINED.  = 
PERFECT  CIRCULATION;  ALL  BACK  PRESSURE  REMOVED. 

Skilful  Engineers  will  be  sent  upon  application  to  examine  steam-heating  plants  and  to  furnish 

estimates.     Correspondence  solicited.     Testimonials  from  users 

in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

PAUL  STEAM  SYSTEM  COMPANY, 

79   MILK  ST.,  BOSTON, 


FOR  SCHOOLS,  FACTORIES,  AND  INSTITUTIONS. 


THE  "EM-ESS" 

PARSONSSCHOOL 

WATER-CLOSET. 

A  radical  and  suc- 
cessful departure  from 
latrines  and  sinks  re- 
taining filth  for  a 
period. 

The  arrangement  of 
each  basin  in  the  trough 
at  a  slightly  lower  level, 
with  its  weir  or  dam 
toward  the  outlet,  is 
novel  and  ingenious, 
jar  v>ng  an  equal  flush  to 
each  basin  with  a  min- 
imum quantity  of 
water.  An  important 
consideration  when 
meter  rates  have  to 
be  paid  or  drainage 
is  into  a  cesspool.  The 
important  advantage  is 
secured  of  a  body  of 
water  in  each  depres- 
sion, as  in  a  washout 
closet,  that  may  be 
automatically  removed 
with  all  its  contents  at 
predetermined  in- 
tervals. 


For  Illustrated  Circular  and  Price-lists  address 


THE   MEYER-SNIFFEN   CO.,  LIMITED, 

Manufacturers  and  Importers  of  Fine  Plumbing  Fixtures, 

No.  5   KAST   IQTH   STREET,   «  =.  NEW  YORK. 


THE  "Em-Ess"  DOHERTY  SELF-CLOSING  FAUCET. 


'HESE  FAUCETS  have  been  used  for  the  last  eighteen  years, 
and   although  subjected  to  the  most  severe  usage  we  have 
never  had  a  complaint    of    their   sticking  open,  this   result   being 
due  to  the  care  exercised  in  their  manufacture  and  the  ingenious 
application  of  the  double  lever. 

Numerous  imitations  have  appeared  on  the  market  as  the 
natural  result  of  the  reputation  and  popularity  these  Self-Closing 
Faucets  have  acquired,  and  of  our  guarantee  to  keep  them  in  re- 
pair. In  New  York  and  vicinity  we  keep  the  "EM-ESS"  Doherty 
Faucets  in  repair  for  three  years  without  charge. 

The  curved  handles  shown  in  the  illustration  are  a  recent  im- 
provement (patented)  we  have  adopted.    This  feature  improves  the 
appearance  of  the  Faucet,  and  makes  it  easier  to  hold  open,  as  the 
levers  may  be  grasped  in  the  hand.      It  also  prevents  persons  so 
disposed  from  tying  the  levers  together. 
All  Faucets  that  are  genuine  will  bear  the  stamp  "  EM-Ess"  Doherty  as  shown. 
Please  plainly  specify  the  f(  EM-ESS  "  Doherty  and  look  for  the  stamp  as  above, 
thus  avoiding  all  question  as  to  what  is  wanted. 

FOR  ILLUSTRATED  CIRCULAR  AND  PRICE-LISTS  ADDRESS 

THE  MEYER-SNIFFEN  CO.,  LIMITED, 

Manufacturers  and  Importers  of  Fine  Plumbing  Fixtures, 
NEW  YORK,  September,  18,5.  NO.     ">     EAST     19lH    STREET,    NEW    YORK. 


PROBABLY  THE  LARGEST    FIRM 
OF  THIS  KIND  IN  THE  WORLD. 


HEATING  APPARATUS. 

STEAM     AND     HOT=WATER 

THAT  HEATS. 

26$ -205  VAN  Bu REN  STREET  (CORNER  FRANKLIN},  CHICAGO. 


;•;       PACIFIC  TOILER  WORKS, 

WM.  BARAGWANATH  &  SON, 

MANUFACTURERS  OF 

FEED  WATER_HEATERS.  PURIFIERS, 
POWER  BOILER  FEED  PUMPS,  ETC. 

TE  w.™°NE>  48,  50,  52  W.  Division  Street,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 

THE  BLACKMORE  HEATING  SUPPLY  Co. 


1O1   BEKKMAN  STKEKT,   NE\V  YORK. 

HEADQUARTERS  FOR 

•••TRIUMPH  HEATERS--- 

HOT   \VAXER-SXEANI  —  HOT   AIR. 

MANUFACTURED  BY 

THE  CRAIG-REYNOLDS   FOUNDRY  CO.,  DAYTON,  OHIO. 


MAXIMUM  SERVJCE^MINIMUM  EFFORT 


IS    SECURED    BY    THE    USE    OF- 


RADIATOR  VALVES. 


Only  One  Movement  is  required  to  Open, 
and  only  Two  Movements  to  Close  Them. 
Time  Wasted,  &(o  "Burnt  Fingers, 
Annoying  ^Delays. 


They  also  possess  an  Automatic  Feature  which  maks  them 

work  in  Constant  Sympathy  with  the  Scientific 

Principles  Governing  Steam  Heating. 


Detroit  Quick-Opening 
Steam  Valve. 


Fully  describing  the  above,  also  our  Quick-Opening  Hot- Water  Rad- 
iator Valves,  Screw  Stem  Radiator  Valves,  Corner  Radiator  Valves, 
etc.,  will  be  sent  on  application.  Address 

THE  DETROIT  LUBRICATOR  CO. 

DETROIT,  MICH. 


Opens  with 
One-Quarter  Turn. 


Detroit  Quick-Opening: 
Hot-Water  Valve. 


VENTILATION 

OF 

LARGE 

PUBLIC 

BUILDINGS. 

No 
Contracting. 


FRED  P.  SMITH, 


CIVIL  ENGINEER, 


Consulting  Expert  and 

Architect's  Assistant 

IN   WARMING,   VENTILATION,  STEAM 

AND  ELECTRIC  POWER  PLANTS, 

AND   SANITATION. 


Lincoln  Building,    ::     Union  Square,    :.     New  York  City. 


PLUMBING  PROBLEMS; 


OR, 


Questions,  Answers  and  'Descriptions, 

FROM 

THE   ENGINEERING   RECORD, 

ESTABLISHED  1877. 

(Prior  to  1887,  THE  SANITARY  ENGINEER.) 


With  142  Illustrations. 

"A  feature  of  THE  ENGINEERING  RECORD  (prior  to  1887,  The  Sanitary  Engi- 
neer), is  its  replies  to  questions  on  topics  that  come  within  its  scope,  included  in  which 
are  Water-Supply,  Sewage  Disposal,  Ventilation,  Heating,  Lighting,  House-Drainage 
and  Plumbing.  Repeated  inquiries  concerning  matters  often  explained  in  its  columns, 
suggested  the  desirability  of  putting  in  a  convenient  form  for  reference  a  selection  from 
its  pages  of  questions  and  comments  on  various  problems  met  With  in  house-drainage 
and  plumbing,  improper  work  being  illustrated  and  explained  as  well  as  correct 
methods  It  is.  therefore,  hoped  that  this  book  will  be  useful  to  those  interested  in 
this  branch  of  Sanitary  Engineering." 


TABLE  OF 
DANGEROUS  BLUNDERS  IN  PLUMBING. 

Running  Vent-Pipe  in  Improper  Places — Con- 
necting Soii-Pipes  with  Chimney-Flues— By- 
Passes  in  Trap-Ventilation,  etc.  Illustrated, 

A  Case  of  Reckless  Botching.     Illustrated. 

A  Stupid  Multiplication  of  Traps.  Illustrated. 

Plumbing  Blunders  in  a  Gentleman's  Country 
House.  Illustrated. 

A  Trap  Made  Useless  by  Improper  Adjustment 
of  Inlet  and  Outlet  Pipes.  Illustrated. 

Unreliability  of  Heated  Flue  as  a  Substitute 
for  Proper  Trapping.  Illustrated, 

Need  of  Plans  in  Doing  Plumbing-Work. 

HOUSE-DRAINAGE. 

City  and  Country  House-Drainage — Removal 
of  Ground-Water  from  Houses— Trap-Ventila- 
tion— Fresh- Air  Inlets — Dram-Ventilation  by 
Heated  Flues — Laying  of  Stoneware  Drains. 

Requirements  for  the  Drainage  of  Every  House. 

Drainage  of  a  Saratoga  House.     Illustrated. 

Ground-Water  Drainage  of  a  Country-House. 
Illustrated. 

Ground- Water  Drainage  of  a  City  House.  Il- 
lustrated. 

Fresh-Air  Inlets. 

The  Location  of  Fresh-Air  Inlets  in  Cities. 
Illustrated. 

Fresh-Air  Inlets.    Illustrated. 

Air-Inlets  on  Drains. 

The  Proper  Way  to  Lay  Stoneware  Drains. 

Risks  Attending  the  Omission  of  Traps  and  Re- 
lying on  Drain- Ventilation  by  Flues.  Illustrated. 

The  Tightness  of  Tile-Diains. 

Danger  of  Soil-Pipe  Terminals  Freezing  unless 
Ends  are  without  Hoods  or  Cowls. 

Object:on  to  Connecting  Bath-Waste  with 
Water-Closet  Trap. 

How  to  Adjust  the  Inlets  and  Outlets  of  Traps. 
Illustrated. 

How  to  Protect  Trap  when  Soil-Pipe  is  used  as 
a  Leader. 

Size  of  Ventilating-Pipes  for  Traps. 

How  to  Prevent  Condensation  Filling  Vent- 
Pipes. 

Ventilating  Soil-Pipes. 

How  to  Prevent  Accidental  Discharge  into  Trap 
Vent-Pipe. 

Why  Traps  should  be  Vented. 


CONTENTS : 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Syphoning  Water  through  a  Bath-Supply. 
Illustrated. 

Emptying  a  Trap  by  Capillary  Attraction.  Il- 
lustrated. 

As  to  Safety  of  Stop-Cocks  on  Hot  Water 
Pipes. 

How  to  Burnish  Wiped  Joints. 

Admission  to  the  New  York  Trade  Schools. 

Irregular  Water  Supply.     Illustrated. 

Hot  Water  from  the  Cold  Faucet,  and  how  to 
Prevent  it.  Illustrated. 

Disposal  of  Bath  and  Basin  Waste  Water. 

To  Prevent  Corrosion  of  Tank  Lining. 

Number  of  Water  Closets  Required  in  a  Fac- 
tory. 

Size  of  Basin  Wastes  and  Outlets. 

Tar  Coated  Water  Pipe  Affect  Taste  of  Water. 

How  to  Deal  with  Pollution  of  Cellar  Floors. 

How  to  Heat  a  Bathing  Pool. 

Objections  to  Galvanized  Sheet  Iron  Soil  Pipe. 

To  Prevent  Rust  in  a  Suction  Pipe. 

Automatic  Shut  Off  for  Gas  Pumping  Engines 
when  Tank  is  Full.  Illustrated. 

Paint  to  Protect  Tank  Linings. 

Vacuum  Valves  not  always  Reliable. 

Size  of  Water  Pipes  in  a  House. 

How  to  Make  Rust  Joints. 

Covering  for  Water  Pipes. 

Size  of  Soil  Pipe  for  an  ordinary  City  House. 

How  to  Construct  a  Sunken  Reservoir  to  Hold 
Two  Thousand  Gallons. 

Where  to  Place  Burners  to  Ventilate  Flues  by 
Gas  Jets.  Illustrated. 

How  to  Prevent  Water  Hammer. 

Why  a  Hydraulic  Ram  does  not  Work. 

Air  in  Water  Pipes. 

Proper  Size  of  Water  Closet  Outlets. 

Is  a  Cement  Floor  Impervious  to  Air  ? 

Two  Traps  to  a  Water  Closet  Objectionable. 

Connecting  Bath  Wastes  to  Water  Closet 
Traps.  Illustrated. 

Objections  to  Leaching  Cesspool  and  need  of 
Fresh  Air  Inlet. 

The  Theory  of  the  Action  of  Field's  Syphon. 

How  to  Disinfect  a  Cesspool. 

Drainage  into  Cesspools. 

Slabs  for  Pantry  Sinks— Wood  vs.  Marble. 

Test  for  Well  Pollution. 

Cesspool  for  Privy  Vault. 


PLUMBING    PROBLEMS. 


Corrosion  of  Lead  Lining. 

Size  of  Flush  lank  to  deal  with  Sewage  of  a 
Small  Hospital. 

Details  of  the  Construction  of  a  House-Tank. 
Illustrated. 

The  Construction  of  a  Cistern  under  a  House. 

To  Protect  Lead  Lining  of  a  Tank,  and  Cause 
of  Sweating. 

Stains  on  Marble. 

Lightning  Strikes  Soil  Pipes. 

Will  the  Contents  of  a  Cesspool  Freeze  > 

Bad  Tast'ng  Water  from  a  Coil.     Illust~ated. 

How  to  Fit  Sheet  Lead  in  a  Large  Tank. 

Why  Water  is  "  Milky  "  When  First  Drawn. 

Material  for  Water  Service  Pipes. 

Carving  Tables.    Illustrated. 

Is  Galvanized  Pipe  Dangerous  for  Soft  Spring 
Water. 

How  to  Arrange  Hush  Pipes  in  Cisterns  to  Pre- 
vent Syphoning  Water  Through  Ball  Cock. 

Depth  of  Foundations  to  Prevent  Dampness  of 
Rite. 

Where  to  Place  a  Tank  to  get  Good  Discharge 
at  Faucet. 

Sel  f  Acting  Water  Closets.    Illustrated. 

Wind  Disturbing  Seal  of  Trap. 

How  to  Draw  Water  from  a  Deep  Well. 

Cause  of  Smell  of  Well  Water. 

Absorption  of  Light  by  Gas  Globes. 

Defective  Drainage.    Illustrated. 

fitting  Basins  to  Marble  Slabs.   Illustrated. 

Intermediate  Tanks  for  the  Water  Supply  of 
High  Buildings.  Illustrated. 

How  to  Construct  a  Filtering  Cistern.  Illus- 
trated. 

Objections  to  Running  Ventilating  Pipe  Into 
Chimney-Flue. 

Size  of  Water  Supply  Pipe  for  Dwelling  House. 

Faulty  Plan  of  a  Cesspool.    Illustrated. 

Connecting  Refrigerator  Wastes  with  Drains. 
Illustrated. 

Disposing  of  Refrigerator  Wastes.  Illustrated. 

Pumping  Air  From  Water  Closet  into  Tea 
Kettle  as  Result  of  Direct  Supply  to  Water 
Closets.  Illustrated. 

Danger  in  Connecting  Tank  Overflows  with 
Soil  Pipes. 

Arrangement  of  Safe  Wastes.    Illustrated. 

The  kind  of  Men  Who  do  not  Like  the  Sani- 
tary Engineer 

What  is  Reasonable  Plumbers'  Profit. 

HOT  WATER  CIRCULATION  IN  BUILD- 
INGS. 

Bath  Boilers.    Illustrated. 

Setting  Horizontal  Boilers.    Illustrated. 


How  to  Secure  Circulation  Between  Boilers  in 
Different  Houses.  Illustrated. 

Connecting  One  Boiler  with  Two  Ranges. 
Illustrated. 

Taking  Return  Below  Boiler.    Illustrated. 

Trouble  with  Boiler. 

An  Ignorant  Way  of  Dealing  with  a  Kitchen 
Boiler.  Illustrated. 

Returning  into  Hot  Water  Supply  Pipe.  Illus- 
trated. 

Where  should  Sediment  Pipe  from  Boiler  be 
connected  with  Waste-Pipe  ? 

Several  Flow  Pipes  and  one  Circulation  Pipe. 
Illustrated. 

How  to  Run  Pipes  from  Water  Back  to  Boiler. 
Illustrated. 

Hot  Water  Circulation  when  Pipes  from  Boiler 
pass  under  the  Floor.  Illustrated. 

Heating  a  Room  from  Water  Back. 

The  Operation  of  Vacuum  and  Safety  Valves. 
Illustrated. 

Preventing  Collapse  of  Boilers. 

Collapse  of  a  Boiler.     Illustrated. 

Explosion  of  Water  Backs. 

A  Proposed  Precaution  against  Water  Back 
Explosions.  Illustrated. 

The  Bursting  of  Kitchen  Boilers  and  Connect- 
ing Pipes.  Illustrated. 

Giving  out  of  Lead  Vent  Pipes  from  Boilers  in 
an  Apartment  House.  Illustrated. 

Connecting  a  Kitchen  Boiler  with  One  or  More 
Water  Backs.  Illustrated. 

New  Method  of  Heating  Two  Boilers  by  One 
Water  Back.  Illustrated. 

Plan  of  Horizontal  Hot  Water  Boiler.  Illus- 
trated. 

HOT    WATER    SUPPLY    IN    VARIOUS 
BUILDINGS. 

Kitchen  and  Hot  Water  Supply  in  the  Resi- 
dence of  Mr.  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  New  York. 
Illustrated. 

Kitchen  and  Hot  Water  Supply  in  the  Resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  New  York. 
Illustrated. 

Kitchen  and  Hot  Water  Supply  in  the  Resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Henry  G.  Marquand,  New  York. 
Illustrated. 

Kitchen  and  Hot  Water  Supply  in  the  Resi- 
dence of  Mr.  A.  J.  White.  Illustrated. 

Hot  Water  Supply  in  an  Office  Building.  Illus- 
trated. 

Kitchen  and  Hot  Water  Supply  in  the  Resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Sidney  Webster.  Illustrated. 

Plumbing  and  Water  Supply  in  the  Residence 
of  Mr.  H.  H.  Cook.  Illustrated. 


Large  8vo.  cloth,  f  2.00. 
Address,  BOOK  DEPARTMENT, 

THE    ENGINEERING    RECORD, 

p.  o.  BOX  3037.  277  PEARL  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


ROOT  IMPROVED  WATER-TUBE  BOILER 


ABENDROTH  &  ROOT 

MANUFACTURING  CO, 

28   Cliff  St.,  NK\V  YORK. 


:CATALOGUE  ON  APPLICATION.: 


SNOW  •  STEAM  -  PUMP  •  WORKS. 

BUFFALO,    N.   Y.          :, 

Officer  and  Agencies  in  All   Large  Cities. 

HIGH  GRADE  PUMPING  MACHINERY 


FOR    ALL    SERVICES.=- 


STEAM  PUMPS  FOR  BOILER  FEEDING,  AUTOMATIC  FEED  PUMPS 

AND  RECEIl/ERS,  ETC.,  ETC. 


The  Small  Cost 

Of  an  advertisement  in  THE 
ENGINEERING  RECORD 
INVITING  BIDS  for  any  kind 
of  Public  Work  is  a  profitable  in- 
vestment for  any  community  that 
wants  the  advantage  of  competi- 
tion between  contractors  of  ex- 
perience having  ample  capital  and 
plant  to  enable  them  to  success- 
fully carry  out  their  undertakings. 
That  class  of  contractors  in  all 
sections  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada  are  among  THE  ENGI- 
NEERING RECORD'S  subscribers. 


Copy  for  Proposal  Advertisements  can 
be  taken  as  late  as  10  A.  M.  Friday  for 
insertion  in  Saturday's  issue. 


Some  Details  of  IVater-Works 
Construction. 

By  W.  R.  BILLINGS,  Superintendent  of  Water-Works  at  Taunton,  Mass. 
WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  SKETCHES  BY  THE  AUTHOR. 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

Some  questions  addressed  to  the  Editor  of  THE  ENGINEERING 
RECORD  by  persons  in  the  employ  of  new  water-works  indicated  that  a 
short  series  of  practical  articles  on  the  Details  of  Constructing  a  Water- 
Works  Plant  would  be  of  value  ;  and,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Editor, 
the  preparation  of  these  papers  was  undertaken  for  the  columns  of 
that  journal.  The  task  has  been  an  easy  and  agreeable  one,  and  now, 
in  a  more  convenient  form  than  is  afforded  by  the  columns  of  the  paper, 
these  notes  of  actual  experience  are  offered  to  the  water-works 
fraternity,  with  the  belief  that  they  may  be  of  assistance  to  beginners 
and  of  some  interest  to  all. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.— MAIN  PIPES— 
Materials —  Cast-Iron —  Cement-Lined 
Wrought  Iron  —  Salt-Glazed  Clay  — 
Thickness  of  Sheet  Metal— Methods  of 
Lining —  List  of  Tools —  Tool-Box — 
Derrick —  Calking  Tools —  Furnace — 
Transportation — Handling  Pipe— Cost 
of  Carting — Distributing  Pipe. 

CHAPTER  II.— FIELD  WORK— 
Engineering  or  None — Pipe  Plans — 
Special  Pipe —  Laying  out  a  Line  — 
Width  and  Depth  of  Trench— Time- 
Keeping  Book — Disposition  of  Dirt — 
Tunneling — Sheet  Piling. 

CHAPTER  III.—  TRENCHING    AND 
PIPE-LAYING- 

Caving  —  Tunneling  —  Bell-Holes  — 
Stony  Trenches — Feathers  and  Wedges 
—  Blasting  —  Rocks  and  Water  — 
Laying  Cast-Iron  Pipe — Derrick  Gang 
— Handling  the  Derrick — Skids— Ob- 
structions Left  in  Pipes — Laying  Pipe 
in  Quicksand — Cutting  Pipe. 


CHAPTER  IV.  —  PIPE-LAYING    AN  D 
JOINT-MAKING- 

Laying  Cement-Lined  Pipe — "  Mud  " 
Bell  and  Spigot  —  Yarn  —  Lead  — 
Jointers — Roll — Calking — Strength  of 
Joints — Quantity  of  Lead. 

CHAPTER  V.— HYDRANTS,    GATES, 

AND  SPECIALS- 
CHAPTER  VI.— SERVICE  PIPES— 

Definition  —  Materials  —  Lead  vs. 
Wrought  Iron  —  Tapping  Mains  for 
Services — Different  Joints — Compres- 
sion Union — Cup. 

CHAPTER  VII.— S ERVICE-PIPES 
AND  METERS— 

Wiped  Joints  and  Cup-Joints — The 
Lawrence  Air-Pump — Wire-drawn  Sol- 
der— Weight  of  Lead  Service-Pipe — 
Tapping  Wrought-Iron  Mains  —  Ser- 
vice-Boxes— Meters. 


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OF" 


Steam  =  and :  Water  =  Heating  =  Apparatus 

OE    EVERY    DESCRIPTION. 

a 


M  ERC  E 


STEAM  AND  HOT-  WATER 
...HEATING... 

ADAPTED   FOR   HARD    OR   SOFT   COAL   AND   WOOD. 


MERCER    BOILER. 


THE 


COTTAGE 


BOILER 


HEATING  SUBURBAN  HOMES. 


FOR  STEAM  OR  HOT  WATER;   ARRANGED  FOR 
HARD  OR  SOFT  COAL  AND  WOOD. 


THE    COTTAGE    BOILER. 


MILL'S  PATENT  SAFETY  SECTIONAL  TOILER,  for  Steam  or  Water  Heating. 

GOLD'S  SECTIONAL  TOILERS,  of  new  patterns  embodying  latest  improvements. 

The  UNION,  ROYAL,  IMPERIAL,  and  CHAMPION  RADIATORS,  for  Steam  or  Water. 
GOLD'S  INDIRECT  PIN  RADIATORS,  of  new  and  improved  patterns  for  Steam  or  Water. 

^RECKEN RIDGE'S  PATENT  AUTOMATIC  ^IR 


SEND    FOR    CATALOGUES. 


FOUNDRY: 

WESTFIELD,  MASS. 


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FINE  PLUMBING  FIXTURES. 


The  undersigned  manufacture  fine  Plumbing  Materials,  such  as  are 
required  and  used  in  work  where  quality  and  not  price  is  the  consideration. 
They  publish  a  large  and  costly  illustrated  Catalogue,  which  they  would  be 
pleased  to  send  to  Architects  and  the  Trade,  but  desire  to  emphasize  the  fact 
that  no  illustrations,  however  skillfully  the  engraver's  and  printer's  art  may  be 
employed,  can  adequately  indicate  the  advantages  of  fine  workmanship  in 
every  detail  and  part  of  a  sanitary  appliance. 

Yet  this  careful  workmanship  is  of  the  utmost  importance  in  any 
appliance  having  to  convey  and  control  water  under  pressure,  and  it  is  the 
attention  and  labor  expended  on  every  mechanical  detail  of  their  various 
specialties  that  has  secured  for  their  manufactures  the  reputation  acquired. 

Whenever  practicable,  therefore,  parties  interested  should  visit  their 
Showrooms  and  make  critical  examination,  which  will  enable  them  to  make 
comparison  with  other  appliances  said  to  be  similar  (and  which- as  illustrated 
are  apparently  so).  Such  an  examination  of  actual  apparatus  will  show 
existing  differences  that  more  than  justify  the  apparent  difference  in  price. 

Among  the  standard  specialties  manufactured  and  controlled  by 
them  are  : 

"ROYAL   PORCELAIN   BATHS." 

"BRIGHTON,"  "VORTEX,"  "  PEMBERTON," 

AND  "HELLYER-OXFORD"  WATER-CLOSETS. 

"EM-ESS  PARSONS"  SCHOOL  WATER-CLOSE  V. 
"EM-ESS   TUCKER"  GREASE   TRAP. 

"EM-ESS   DOHERTY"  SELF-CLOSING   FAUCETS. 
"EM-ESS   FULLER"  FAUCETS. 

"BRIGHTON"  BASIN  — "YORK"  WASTE. 
"MODEL"    SLOP    SINKS. 


THE  MEYER-SNIFFEN  CO.,L,M,TED, 

«».  FINE  PLUMBING  FIXTURES. 


MAIN    OFFICE    AND   SHOWROOMS! 

No.  5  EAST  19™  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 

BRANCH  SHOWROOM:  180  DEVONSHIRE  STREET,  BOSTON. 


RECOGNIZED  ;:  EVERYWHERE 

AS 

THE  BEST. 


GURNEY 


GURNEY  "BRIGHT  IDEA"  BOILER. 
For  Hot  Wa'.er  or  Steam  Heating. 


Hot-  Water  Heaters, 

Steam  B°ilers, 
—  =  Radiators.  —  = 


IMMENSE  RANGE  OF  CAPACITIES 

TO  MEET  EVERY  REQUIREMENT. 


HARVARD"  RADIATOR. 

For  Hot  Water  or  Steam. 

HIGHEST  AWARDS  OF  (MERIT 

WHEREYER  EXHIBITED. 


SEND   FOR   TRADE    CATALOGUE,   "  DESK   EDITION.' 


GURNEY    "310   SERIES"   HOT-WATER 
HEATER. 


GURNEY 

HEATER  M'F'G  CO., 

163   Kranklin   Street, 

BOSTON,    MASS. 


.NITIAU    F'1^0FuR25ToCENTS 

W11_,_  BE  ASSESSED   1    >R  TH£  PENAUTY 

TH,!1  mCREASETTO  5°0  CENTS  °^  TH^FOURTH 

OVERDUE. 


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LD  21-50m-8,-32 


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